LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 


Class 


Sunday-School   Problems 


A  Book  of  Practical  Plans  for  Sun- 
day-School   Teachers    and    Officers 


By  AMOS  R.  WELLS 

Author  of**  Sunday- School  Success,  '  "  Three  Tears  with 
the  Children"  **  Studies  in  the  Art  of  Illustration, 


etc. 


W.  A.  WILDE  COMPANY 

BOSTON  AND  CHICAGO 


RAL 


Copyright,  1905, 
By  W.  A.  Wilde  Company, 

All  rights  reserved. 


Sunday-School  Problems. 
Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London. 


S  Vis*  o 

W  4- 


PREFACE 


If  you  are  looking  in  this  book  for  a  systematic  treat- 
ment of  the  subject,  for  big  words  and  philosophical 
analyses,  I  am  afraid  you  will  be  disappointed. 

But  if  you  want  to  know  what  practical  Sunday-school 
workers  have  found  helpful  in  solving  the  principal 
problems  of  their  work,  I  hope  you  will  be  aided  by 
these  pages. 

This  book  is  a  record  of  my  thoughts  and  observations 
on  the  Sunday  school  during  the  past  seven  years.  Its 
various  chapters  have  already  enjoyed,  separately,  a 
wide  reading.  They  have  appeared  in  The  New  Cen- 
taury Teacher^  The  Sunday-School  Times,  The  Pilgrim 
cher  (Congregational),  The  Baptist  Teacher,  Tlie 
Westminster  Teacher  (Presbyterian),  the  publications  of 
the  British  Sunday-School  Onion,  and  addresses  before 
various  Sunday-school  conventions,  the  American  Bible 
League,  and  the  Religious  Education  Association. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  those  that  discuss  the  Sun- 
d.i y  school  from  the  outside,  I  am  sure  that  the  actual 
teachers  of  the  Sunday  school  are  interested  far  less  in 
theories  and  criticisms  and  profound  disquisitions  on 
"the  Sunday-school  movement,"  than  in  the  very  humble 


4  PREFACE 

but  infinitely  important  question,  how  to  get  Bible  wis- 
dom into  Tom  Jones  and  Susie  Brown.  This  book  says 
nothing,  I  believe,  about  "  the  Sunday-school  movement." 
It  is  just  about  Tom  and  Susie. 

Amos  R.  Wells. 

Boston. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.      HOW  TO  GET  HOME  STUDY 7 

II.      THE  LAST  FIVE  MINUTES 16 

III.  WHAT  TO  DO  WITH  BACKWARD  SCHOLARS    .  ■    .  22 

IV.  WHAT   TO  DO  WHEN  THE  LESSON   HOUR  IS  CUT 

SHORT 27 

V.     THE  GOOD  OF  GOALS 34 

VI.  WHAT  TO  DO  W HII  THE  DISORDERLY  SCHOLAR,  43 

VII.  is  mi;  GOLDEN  tex  I  'WORTH  WHILE?    ...  52 

VIII.     tin:  teacher's  MANNER 57 

IX.      A  GOOD  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PATCH 63 

X.  WHAT  TO  DO  WHEN  THE  ATTENDANCE  WANES,  68 

\i.      THE  HOY  OUTSIDE  THE  SCHOOL 79 

\n.      THOSE  notices 86 

XIII.  Ill  I :  SWING  OF  THE  SCHOOL 93 

XIV.  THi:  PEDAGOGIC  VALUE  OF  FUN 97 

XV.      L  TEACHES  BY  POST 108 

XVI.  THE  SUPERINTENDENT'S  BLACKBOARD    ...  116 

XVII.  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  AS  AN  AVOCATION        .      .  124 

XVIII.  HOW    TO   BUILD  UP  THE  ADULT  BIBLE  CLASS,  132 

\  IX.  WH  VT  TO  DO  Willi  HIE  HARDER  LESSONS  .      .  141 

XX.      THE  BIBLE  IN  THE  GLASS 150 

\\l.  PATRIOTISM  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL        ...  158 

xxil.      "SUNDAY-SCHOOLY" 164 

5 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIII.      CHRISTIAN      EVIDENCES     IN     THE     SUNDAY 

SCHOOL 173 

XXIV.      CHRISTMAS  FESTIVITIES 198 

XXV.      THE  LESSON  PERSPECTIVE 207 

XXVI.      THE      SUPERINTENDENT      THAT      NEEDS     A 

MUZZLE 213 

XXVII.      "PEARLS  BEFOUL  swim;" 218 

XXVIII.      THE  CLASS  NUCLEUS 222 

XXIX.      WHAT    TO   DO   WITH    "  THE    HIGHER    CRIT- 
ICISM"   225 

XXX.      THAT  EASILY  POSSIBLE  TEACH ERS'  MEETING,  238 

XXXI.      THE  RIGHT  BAIT 247 

XXXII.      HOW  TO  USE  DECISION  DAY 250 

XXXIII.  BIBLE-MARKING  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL      .  25(1 

XXXIV.  HOW  TO  INSPIRE  LOVE  FOR  THE  BIBLE    .      .  261 

XXXV.       PENCIL  AM)  PAPER 268 

XXXVI.      WORKING    WITH    THE    YOUNG    PEOPLE'S  SO- 
CIETY       27;} 

XXXVII.      WHY  no  WE  TEACH  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL!  277 

XXXVIII.     HOW  TO  TELL  A  BIBLE  STORY 284 

INDEX 295 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 


CHAPTER  I 

HOW  TO  GET  HOME  STUDY 

What  complaint  is  most  frequently  heard  from  the 
Sunday-school  teacher  ?  Undoubtedly  this :  "  I  can't  get 
my  scholars  to  study  at  home."  And  that  is  a  pretty 
serious  complaint,  if  the  teacher  desires  to  teach,  and 
not  merely  to  lecture;  to  educate,  not  harangue.  Of 
course,  much  good  may  be  done  the  scholars, and  the  school 
is  well  worth  while,  though  Bibles  are  never  opened  at 
home,  and  ail  the  class  learns  about  the  lesson  is  what 
their  teacher  tells  them  ;  but  Sunday-school  efficiency  is 
doubled  or  quadrupled  if  home  study  prepares  a  founda- 
tion on  which  the  teacher  can  build. 

Creating  an  Appetite.— Nor  is  the  object  of  home  study 
merely  to  gain  information  ;  that  is  where  many  teachers 
fail  in  their  efforts  to  obtain  it.  One  important  function 
of  home  work  is  to  create  a  zest,  an  appetite,  for  the 
work  of  the  school.  No  teacher  will  persuade  his 
scholars  to  study  the  lesson  by  scolding  them.  In  some 
way,  home  study  must  be  made  attractive.  The  element 
of  play  must  enter  it.  We  have  none  of  the  imperative 
motives  which  the  secular  schools  can  bring  to  bear  upon 
their  students,  but  must  make  up  the  lack  by  ingenuity 
and  skill. 

7 


8  SUNDAY  SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

Plan  for  It. — It  is  essential,  then,  that  the  Sunday- 
school  teacher  plan  carefully  for  the  home  study  of  his 
scholars,  as  carefully  as  for  his  own  work  in  the  class. 
Every  week  he  should  present  some  device,  not  al- 
ways, though  often,  a  different  one.  Beginning  with 
slight,  easy  tasks,  let  him  go  on  to  more  difficult  work; 
but  from  the  start — and  here  is  where  many  teachers 
fail — it  must  be  something  quite  definite,  and  something 
that  is  evidently  worth  while,  no  mere  answering  of  a 
set  of  leading  questions. 

Follow  It  Up.— Any  attempt  to  bring  about  home 
study  will  be  useless  unless  it  is  followed  up,  regularly 
and  persistently.  Call  for  the  results  of  it  the  first  thing, 
at  the  beginning  of  every  lesson.  While  home  study  is 
becoming  a  habit,  it  would  be  worth  while  to  give  each 
scholar  a  postal  card,  on  which,  the  middle  of  the  week, 
he  will  send  the  teacher  a  report  of  his  work.  A  record 
of  the  scholars'  faithfulness  in  this  regard  should  be  kept 
explicitly.  Indeed,  it  will  help  greatly  if  this  matter  is 
recognized  each  Sunday  in  the  secretary's  report  to  the 
school,  so  that  the  scholars  may  know  how  many  have 
studied  at  home  the  past  week,  and  for  what  average  and 
aggregate  time,  and  what  improvement  is  being  made. 
At  the  end  of  the  year,  if  such  home  work  as  I  shall  sug- 
gest is  carried  out,  the  school  will  have  ample  material 
for  a  notable  exhibit,  interesting  to  the  entire  church, 
and  a  fine  advertisement  for  Bible-study. 

Helps. — It  is  useless  to  require  home  study  until  the 
scholars  have  Bibles  ;  and  almost  useless  unless  the  Bibles 
are  of  clear,  large  type.  If  they  are  the  Revision,  the 
scholars'  pathway  will  be  wonderfully  smoothed.     But 


HOW   TO   GET   HOME   STUDY  9 

they  will  also  need  the  helps  that  come  with  a  teacher's 
Bible,  especially  the  atlas,  the  references,  and  the  index. 
As  to  the  concordance,  that  feature  in  a  teacher's  Bible 
is  so  condensed  as  to  be  more  of  an  aggravation  than  an 
aid.  By  all  means,  every  scholar  that  can  afford  a  full 
concordance  and  a  Bible  dictionary  should  be  induced  to 
purchase  them.  For  the  others,  a  little  class  library  may 
be  kept  in  the  most  easily  accessible  place,  and  there 
should  be  found  not  only  the  books  already  mentioned, 
but  good  commentaries  on  the  portion  of  Scripture  the 
school  is  studying. 

Does  any  one  demur  at  the  cost  of  this  ?  Remember, 
the  books  will  answer  for  years,  and  it  is  as  foolish  to  at- 
torn pt  Biblical  studies  without  text-books  as  to  send  your 
children  to  the  secular  schools  without  grammar,  arith- 
metic, and  geography. 

Instruction  in  the  use  of  these  helps  must  be  given. 
Few  scholars  know  how  to  use  the  concordance  or  Bible 
index,  or  on  what  map  of  the  atlas  to  look  for  a  certain 
place,  or  even  how  to  get  the  most  out  of  their  regular 
lesson  helps.  An  entire  session  of  the  school  might  prof- 
itably be  spent  by  the  teacher  in  giving  this  necessary 
instruction  and  drill. 

Plain  Directions. — It  is  hardly  possible  to  be  too  ex- 
plicit in  giving  directions  for  home  study.  Fix  a  reg- 
ular time  for  this  work,  so  that  each  of  the  class  may 
know  that,  when  he  sits  down  for  his  daily  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  with  the  lesson,  all  the  other  members  of  the 
class,  so  far  as  possible,  are  at  the  same  task.  And  give 
the  scholars  written  programmes  for  their  study,  as  : — 

1.     Intervening  events  and  lesson  proper  (Bible.) 


10  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PK01JLEMS 

2.  Place  (atlas). 

3.  Time  (lesson  help). 

4.  Persons  (Bible  dictionary). 

5.  Events  (commentary). 

0.     Teachings  (lesson  helps,  etc.). 

7.     Scripture  light  (Bible  index). 

One  of  these  points  may  be  taken  up  on  each  of  the 
seven  days  of  the  week,  and  the  lesson  may  be  studied 
in  this  order  in  the  class.  Such  a  programme,  however, 
soon  grows  monotonous,  and  the  scholars  will  become 
able  to  do  this  fundamental  work  more  rapidly,  leaving 
time,  at  home  and  in  class,  for  more  attractive  advanced 
work  such  as  I  shall  indicate. 

If  possible,  interest  the  parents  in  this  home  study. 
Nothing  will  better  promote  the  success  of  your  class. 
In  any  event,  it  is  an  admirable  plan  for  you,  once  each 
week,  to*  study  the  lesson  with  one  of  your  scholars,  tak- 
ing them  in  turn.  Not  only  will  you  thus  give  them  the 
most  needed  intellectual  help,  but  you  will  get  closer  to 
their  spiritual  needs  than  in  any  other  way.  In  addition, 
it  will  be  a  delightful  stimulus  if  the  scholars  themselves 
meet  occasionally  at  one  of  their  homes,  for  an  evening  of 
study  together. 

Specimen  Studies. — The  nature  of  the  special  home 
studies,  which  are  to  add  zest  to  your  routine  work,  de- 
pends, of  course,  on  what  part  of  the  Bible  you  are  study- 
ing. If,  for  example,  you  are  entering  upon  the  life  of 
Saul,  set  your  class  to  preparing  historical  charts,  show- 
ing the  Hebrew  kings  in  order,  at  distances  proportioned 
to  the  lengths  of  their  reigns.  If  you  are  beginning  the 
life   of   Christ,    interest   your   scholars    in    constructing 


HOW   TO   GET   HOME   STUDY  11 

charts  which  will  show  in  order  all  the  recorded  events 
of  his  life. 

If  the  lessons  lie  in  the  Psalms,  get  the  class  to  go 
through  the  entire  book,  prefixing  a  title  to  each  Psalm, 
or  classifying  the  Psalms  under  a  few  suitable  heads, 
such  as  "  Psalms  of  Praise."  The  lesson  may  be  one  of 
the  miracles.  Then  have  the  scholars  make  a  list  of  the 
Bible  miracles  that  are  akin  to  it,  such  as  all  miracles 
of  healing.  A  parable  may  be  the  lesson  theme.  In 
that  case  the  class  may  be  set  to  writing  paraphrases; 
or,  if  any  are  capable  of  the  feat,  they  may  be  asked  to 
tell  the  story  in  original  verse. 

A  quarter's  lessons  lie  in  Genesis.  Ask  the  scholars  to 
read  the  entire  book,  finding  a  keyword  for  each  chap- 
ter. A  lesson  from  Proverbs  may  contain  a  maxim  re- 
garding money.  Induce  the  scholars  to  collect  the  rest 
of  the  proverbs  that  discuss  the  use  of  wealth.  The 
choice  of  the  twelve  disciples  is  the  theme.  Obtain,  from 
this  home  study,  lists  of  events  and  savings  which  will 
exhibit  all  that  the  New  Testament  tells  us  concerning 
each  disciple. 

Give  your  work  an  air  of  completeness,  of  finality. 
For  instance,  with  the  first  temperance  lesson  of  the 
year  let  each  scholar  get  (or  make)  a  blank  book,  in 
which  he  will  copy,  during  the  four  temperance  lessons 
of  the  year,  all  that  the  Bible  says  on  this  theme.  Or, 
you  are  beginning  the  lessons  in  the  life  of  Samuel.  Get- 
ting other  blank  books,  the  scholars  will  proceed  to  com- 
pile, as  they  go  on,  their  own  biographies  of  the  great 
judge,  gathering  up  whatever  the  Bible  or  the  lesson 
helps  Bay  about  him.     In  the  same  way  the  class  will 


12  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

make  their  own  lives  of  Paul,  putting  in  an  account  of 
each  Epistle  at  the  time  when  it  was  written.  Some 
lessons  taken  from  the  minor  prophets  will  give  rise  to 
another  little  book,  one  page  being  devoted  to  each 
of  the  twelve,  the  Bible  dictionaries  being  ransacked  for 
all  known  facts  of  their  lives.  At  another  time,  as  you 
draw  near  to  the  end  of  a  series  of  Old  Testament  studies, 
the  order  may  be:  Prepare  a  list  of  all  the  principal 
characters  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  their  chronological 
order.-  In  such  ways  the  scholars  will  be  made  to  feel 
that  they  are  actually  achieving  something,  completing 
something. 

One  of  the  most  profitable  lines  of  home  study  is  the 
correlation  of  the  Bible,  illustrating  Scripture  with 
Scripture,  making  the  scholars  familiar  with  the  Bible 
as  a  whole  and  not  merely  with  the  fragments  on  their 
lesson  leaves.  Thus  a  lesson  from  a  Bible  address,  such 
as  that  of  Moses  in  Deuteronomy  or  that  of  Paul  on 
Mars  Hill,  will  suggest  a  study  of  all  the  orations  of  the 
Bible;  and  this  study  will  extend  over  several  Sabbaths, 
to  be  followed,  at  intervals,  by  similar  studies  of  Bible 
poems,  Bible  letters,  and  the  like.  Similarly,  the  lesson 
on  Elijah's  ravens  will  bring  about  a  search  for  Bible 
birds;  and  other  lessons  will  lead  you  to  study  Bible 
fishes,  trees,  mountains,  children,  mothers,  brothers, 
rivers,  and  like  topics  almost  without  end.  With  older 
scholars  the  object  of  exploration  may  be  more  ethical, 
and  they  may  be  asked  to  illustrate  the  main  teaching  of 
the  next  lesson,  for  instance,  by  three  passages  from 
other  parts  of  the  Bible.  Or,  for  work  with  a  still  wider 
range,  ask  the  scholars  to  bring  in  next  Sunday,  each  of 


HOW   TO   GET   HOME   STUDY  13 

them,  a  set  of  ten  references  obtained  from  reference 
Bibles  and  appropriate  to  the  various  sections  of  the 
lesson,  the  class  to  select,  by  vote,  the  references  that 
seem  on  the  whole  to  be  the  best.  By  such  contrivances 
as  these,  frequently  varied,  you  may  attach  your  week's 
lesson  to  the  rest  of  the  Bible,  and  make  your  scholars 
feel  that  the  entire  sixty-six  books  are  one  Book. 

As  the  teacher  earnestly  plans  for  home  study,  a  great 
number  of  devices  will  occur  to  his  mind.  One  of  the 
best  of  these  is  Bible  marking.  Some  simple  system  of 
indicating  the  subjects  of  verses,  such  as  by  significant 
letters  in  the  margin,— P  for  prayer,  S  for  sin,  SI  for 
salvation, — prove  sufficient  to  interest  your  scholars  in 
hunting  up  correlated  texts,  and  making  their  Bibles 
books  that  can  be  used. 

Occasionally  let  the  teacher  prepare  a  set  of  questions 
on  the  lesson,  a  set  quite  full  and  difficult.  Using  some 
manifolding  device,  prepare  a  copy  for  each  scholar,  as  a 
guide  and  stimulus  to  homo  study.  Occasionally,  too, 
Mid  perbaps  better,  get  the  scholars  themselves  to  pre- 
pare at  home  sets  of  questions  on  the  coming  lesson, 
sending  them  to  you  by  Friday,  that  you  may  use  the 
questions  on  the  coming  Sunday. 

Sometimes,  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  perhaps,  let 
the  teacher  give  each  member  of  his  class  a  blank  book, 
saying,  "This  is  your  Duty  Book.  I  want  you  to  write 
out  in  it,  each  week,  in  the  course  of  your  home  study,  a 
statement  of  the  duty  or  duties  the  lesson  inculcates, 
l.ring  these  books  to  the  class,  so  that  we  may  compare 
notes." 

Many  classes  will  be  interested  in  making  their  own 


14  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

Bible  commentaries.  For  this  purpose  they  will  need  a 
lot  of  blank  paper  of  uniform  size.  Cutting  out  the 
lesson  text  from  their  lesson  leaves  or  quarterlies,  they 
will  paste  it  on  one  of  these  sheets,  writing  beneath 
whatever  explanation  is  needed,  prefixing  verse  numbers 
to  each  point  taken  up.  They  will  be  interested  in  this 
work  in  proportion  as  they  are  faithful  to  it,  and  see  it 
growing  till  it  promises  to  cover  the  whole  Bible. 

If  you  have  many  lessons  from  a  single  book,  as  from 
one  of  the  Gospels,  get  each  scholar  to  print  the  name  of 
the  book  on  a  blank  book,  and  write  inside  a  running 
analysis  of  the  chapters.  Be  sure  to  have  in  each  book 
a  title  page  and  a  preface,  the  latter  to  contain  an  ac- 
count of  the  author  and  the  circumstances  under  which 
the  book  was  written. 

Sometimes  ask  the  class  to  bring,  written  out,  analyses 
of  the  current  lesson  made  under  the  following  heads : 
Time;  Place;  Connection;  Chief  person ;  Subordinate 
persons:  Chief  event;  Subordinate  event;  Chief  teach- 
ing; Subordinate  teaching.  Use  this  order  in  the  class 
discussion. 

Often  let  a  review  be  part  of  the  home  study.  To 
insure  this  you  might  ask  the  class,  for  instance,  to  write 
out,  and  hand  or  send  to  you  during  the  week,  a  full 
statement  of  the  teachings  of  the  lesson  just  studied. 

I  do  not  think  that  acrostics  are  generally  practically 
helpful,  though  if  the  scJioI<irs  themselves  pr<j>'ii>  them 
they  will  promote  home  study.  I  do  believe,  however,  in 
the  preparation  of  diagrams  showing  the  succession  of 
historical  events,  reigns  of  kings,  and  the  like,  and  espe- 
cially do  I  believe  in  home-made  maps;  for  example,  a 


HOW  TO   GET  HOME  STUDY  15 

map  showing  Christ's  journeys,  a  different  color  for  each 
journey,  the  events  being  indicated  by  numbers  with 
marginal  explanations ;  or  a  similar  map  for  Paul's  jour- 
neys, or  one  for  the  various  travels  and  events  of  Moses' 
life,  or  one  for  the  various  exiles. 

Quite  a  different  line  of  work,  promotive  of  home 
study,  is  the  search  for  illustrations  of  the  lesson  truths. 
It  may  be  a  temperance  lesson  ;  send  the  class  to  study 
the  newspapers  for  illustrations.  At  other  times  urge 
them  to  bring  you  illustrations  from  biography,  history, 
tin.*  annuls  of  missions. 

Bible  scrap-books  will  prove  useful  in  stimulating 
home  study.  They  will  be  receptacles  for  maps  and 
diagrams,  for  all  pictures  illustrating  the  Bible,  and  for 
photographs  of  famous  paintings  of  Biblical  subjects. 
If  there  is  a  place  for  such  a  collection  it  is  astonishing 
how  rapidly  it  will  grow,  and  interest  in  it  will  grow 
with  equal  rapidity. 

I  have  named  a  variety  of  methods  for  promoting 
home  stmlv,  and  yet  I  have  only  begun  ;  for,  like  any 
other  line  of  endeavor,  skill  in  this  work  and  abundance* 
of  plans  are  the  fruit  of  sincere  attempts  and  persistency. 
We  can  obtain  home  study  if  we  want  it,  and  if  we  will 
add  to  our  desires  a  measure  of  ingenuity,  energy,  and 
perseverance. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   LAST   FIVE  MINUTES 

In  many  Sunday  schools  it  is  the  custom  to  ring  a  sig- 
nal bell  five  minutes  before  the  close  of  the  teaching. 
Whether  he  like  it  or  not,  that  bell  marks  a  crisis  in  the 
teacher's  work.  The  test  of  his  teaching  has  come.  Now 
or  never  he  must  manage  those  finishing  touches  which 
in  the  case  of  his  pedagogic  effort,  as  of  a  statue  or  a 
poem,  ally  it  to  the  endless  years,  or,  failing,  send  it  to 
the  refuse  heap  of  all  poor  work. 

How  Not  to  Do  It. — Those  precious  five  minutes  must 
never  be  spent  on  Sunday-school  mechanics, — collecting 
the  pennies,  making  announcements,  distributing  the  li- 
brary books  or  papers.  These  should  all  have  been  cleared 
out  of  the  way. 

Nor  should  this  climactic  time  be  spent  upon  any  minor 
detail  of  the  lesson.  No  matter  what  interesting  fact 
you  leave  out,  no  matter  what  bright  anecdote  or  telling 
point  you  omit,  go  at  once  to  the  main  teaching  of  the 
lesson,  and  during  those  five  minutes  drive  it  home. 

Yet  you  will  not  succeed  if  you  allow  an  uneasy  sense 
of  hurry  to  dissipate  your  attention  and  that  of  your 
scholars.  They  must  not  be  made  to  feel,  "  Only  five 
minutes  more !  "  but,  "  Now  for  the  best !  "  If  anything, 
proceed  more  deliberately  than  before,  since  a  sense  of 
leisure  is  necessary  for  the  wisest  teaching  and  the  surest 
learning. 

16 


THE  LAST   FIVE   MINUTES  17 

Especially,  have  a  carefully  matured  plan  for  those  last 
five  minutes.  If  the  half-hour's  teaching  has  given  you 
a  sudden  inspiration  for  your  close,  and  you  are  certain 
it  is  worth  following,  follow  it ;  but  such  inspirations  are 
far  more  likely  to  come  if  you  are  prepared  against  their 
not  coming.  For  instance,  just  when  that  warning  bell 
rings,  some  anecdote  appropriate  to  the  lesson  will  catch 
the  attention  of  your  scholars  and  withdraw  it  from  the 
thought  of  time ;  but  you  must  have  it  ready  in  reserve, 
as  a  part  of  your  lesson  plan. 

Not  with  Homilies. — The  most  common  use  of  the  last 
five  minutes  is  in  exhortation.  That  is  almost  always  a 
mistake.  Restless  with  the  half-hour's  steady  thought, 
the  class  will  not  be  appreciative  of  sermonettes.  It  is 
necessary,  if  you  would  hold  their  attention,  to  give  them 
something  to  do.  If  you  can  set  them  to  work,  and 
make  their  own  activity  of  hand  and  mind  draw  to- 
gether the  lesson  thoughts  into  some  rememberable  whole, 
you  will  have  set  a  worthy  and  workmanlike  seal  on  your 
teaching.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  could  not  furnish  more 
tical  help  in  this  chapter  than  by  suggesting  perhaps 
a  dozen  ways  of  doing  this. 

1.  Give  each  member  of  the  class  a  slip  of  paper,  and 
ask  them  to  sum  up  the  teaching  of  the  lesson  in  a  single 
word— or  in  two  words,  three,  or  ten,  as  seems  best. 
After  all  are  done,  each  will  read  his  summary,  and  you 
will  state  which  seems  the  best,  and  why. 

2.  Place  on  the  blackboard — and  always  a  large  block 
of  paper  will  answer,  if  you  have  no  blackboard — some 
symbol  of  the  lesson.  It  may  be  a  diagram,  a  simple 
picture,  a  mere  acrostic.     Explain  it  briefly ;  then  hand 


18  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

out  pencils  and  paper  and  have  the  symbol  copied,  and 
the  copies  taken  home  as  souvenirs  of  the  lesson.  If  the 
paper  you  give  out  for  this  purpose  is  heavy,  and  neatly 
cut  into  some  pretty  shape,  it  will  be  more  likely  to  be  kept. 

3.  Distribute  among  the  scholars  brief  quotations  from 
well-known  writers  bearing  on  the  great  truth  of  the  les- 
son. These  will  be  read  aloud  one  by  one,'  and  you  will 
comment,  very  briefly,  on  each. 

4.  Get  the  class  to  question  you  on  the  events  of  the 
lesson,  and  urge  them  to  press  in  the  queries  as  rapidly 
as  possible,  while  you  make  your  answers  brisk  and  brief. 
At  the  close,  you  yourself  will  ask  the  one  important 
question,  forcing  home  the  lesson  truth  upon  their  con- 
sciences. 

5.  Show  the  class  some  beautiful  picture  previously 
concealed,  such  a  picture  as  llolman  Hunt's"  The  Shadow 
of  the  Cross."  Get  them  to  tell  you  what  idea  is  brought 
out  by  the  artist. 

6.  A  very  impressive  method  of  closing  is  to  give  each 
scholar  a  personal  note,  fitting  the  lesson  to  his  special 
need.  Have  these  notes  read  in  silence,  and  then  ask 
that  all  heads  be  bowed  while  you  offer  a  short  closing 
prayer. 

7.  Every  teacher  should  have  his  own  collection  of 
poems,  especially  chosen  for  their  helpfulness  in  illustrat- 
ing Scripture  themes.  Choosing  from  this  collection  the 
one  best  adapted  to  impress  the  lesson  of  the  hour,  place 
it  in  large  script  before  the  class,  or  dictate  it  line  by 
line,  while  they  copy  it.  Ask  them  to  commit  it  to 
memory  at  home,  and  be  sure  at  the  next  meeting  of  the 
class  to  have  the  poem  recited. 


THE   LAST    FIVE   MINUTES  19 

S.  Prepare  a  set  of  questions  covering  the  ground  of 
the  lesson.  Make  them  as  crisp  and  interesting  as  possi- 
ble. Write  them  in  plain,  large  script  on  a  big  sheet  of 
paper,  which  you  will  hang  before  the  class  as  soon  as 
the  five-minute  bell  rings.  Furnish  the  scholars  with 
pencils  and  paper,  and  bid  them  see  who  can  answer  cor- 
rectly the  most  of  the  questions  before  the  close  of  the 
five  minutes. 

9.  Print  or  write  on  a  large  sheet  of  paper  some 
beautiful  hymn  or  some  fine  prose  quotation  suitable  to 
the  lesson.  Unroll  it  suddenly  and  place  it  before  the 
class.  Say  a  word  about  the  author,  if  you  know  any 
fact  of  his  life  that  adds  force  to  the  extract.  Then  get 
the  class  to  read  the  quotation  in  concert,  softly,  and 
again  and  again,  till  the  thought  has  thoroughly  entered 
their  minds.  Close  with  silent  prayer,  all  heads  bowed, 
the  petition  being  that  God  will  make  that  truth  a  part 
of  their  lives. 

10.  Having  determined  what  central  teaching  you 
wish  to  impress,  examine  carefully  the  past  week  of  your 
life,  and  see  if  you  have  not  had  some  experience  which 
illustrates  that  truth.  Study  in  the  same  way  your 
scholars'  lives,  so  far  as  you  know  them  or  can  imagine 
them,  and  search  out  similarly  illuminating  experiences. 
Recall  the  news  of  the  week,  with  the  purpose  of  dis- 
covering some  prominent  event  that  brings  out  the  main 
teaching  of  the  lesson.  From  one  or  more  of  these 
sources  you  can  doubtless  glean  an  anecdote  that  will 
rivet  the  attention  of  the  class  for  these  concluding  five 
minutes,  and  fasten  the  lesson  truth  in  their  minds  better 
than  a  half-hour's  homily. 


20  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

11.  Teachers,  especially  of  the  younger  classes,  should 
make  collections  of  well-told  stories  that  point  useful 
morals.  They  will  serve  as  standing  models  for  the 
teacher's  style,  and  also  will  help  by  direct  use.  ('hous- 
ing one  of  these  that  is  suitable,  spend  the  last  live 
minutes  in  reading  it  before  the  class  (or  get  one  of  the 
class  to  read  it),  asking  the  scholars  to  listen  intently 
and  write  out  their  remembrance  of  the  story  as  soon  as 
they  get  home.  Give  them  stamped  and  directed  envel- 
opes in  which  to  mail  to  you  these  stories  during  the 
week,  that  you  may  examine  them  and  read  the  best 
before  the  class  on  the  next  Sabbath. 

12.  Appoint  one  member  of  the  class  to  take  your 
place  in  front,  and  submit  to  be  questioned  on  the  lesson 
by  all  the  class.  As  soon  as  he  misses  a  question,  appoint 
another  to  take  his  place,  and  so  on.  As  the  live  min- 
utes draw  near  their  close,  tell  the  class  that  you  also 
want  to  ask  a  question,  the  most  important  question  of 
all ;  and  then  proceed  briefly  to  bring  out,  by  a  single 
heart-searching  query,  the  truth  you  wish  chiefly  to 
impress. 

13.  All  of  the  foregoing  plans  elicit  the  interested 
cooperation  of  the  class;  but  you  will  gain  and  hold 
their  attention  very  effectively  if  you  can  persuade  some 
good  speaker  to  "drop  in"  on  the  class  just  as  the  warn- 
ing bell  rings,  and  talk  to  your  scholars  for  five  minutes 
on  the  topic  which  you  have  made  your  central  theme. 
The  class  will  accept  a  homily  from  a  fresh  speaker  when 
the}'  would  not  accept  it  from  you. 

It  will  be  seen  that,  if  you  are  to  make  such  thorough 
plans  for  these  last  five  minutes,  you  must  not  be  cheated 


THE  LAST  FIVE  MINUTES  21 

of  them.  The  superintendent  must  understand  that  for 
no  reason  are  they  to  be  abbreviated.  The  warning  bell 
and  the  closing  bell  must  come  with  most  "  dependable  " 
regularity. 

The  ideal  use  of  these  five  minutes  will  do  five  things, 
— one  for  each  minute.  1.  It  will  grip  your  scholars' 
attention,  and  hold  it  in  defiance  of  all  distractions. 
2.  It  will  concisely  review  the  lesson.  3.  It  will  bring 
it  to  a  climax,  a  rememberable  point.  4.  It  will  apply 
this  central  truth  to  the  heart- life  of  the  scholars.  5.  It 
will  send  them  away  stimulated,  pleased,  and  wanting 
to  come  again.  Thus  treated,  the  last  five  minutes  will 
be  the  eagerly  anticipated  crown  of  the  entire  session. 

Indeed,  I  might  fittingly  compare  these  final  five  min- 
utes to  the  arrow-head  with  its  barbs,  whereby  the  arrow 
makes  a  permanent  conquest.  And  if  I  have  given  too 
complicated  directions  for  fashioning  the  arrow-head,  I 
hasten  to  remind  the  teacher  that  only  one  method,  or 
even  a  part  of  one  method,  is  to  be  applied  at  once,  and 
continued  till  it  becomes  easy  and  familiar.  Your  last 
five  minutes  may  not  be  pedagogically  perfect;  but  if 
you  realize  their  importance  and  do  your  best,  they  will 
grow  constantly  in  attractiveness  and  force;  and,  any- 
way, even  a  clumsy  arrow-head  is  better  than  a  headless 
arrow. 


CHAPTER  III 

WHAT  TO   DO   WITH   BACKWARD   SCHOLARS 

The  backward  scholar  is  the  teacher's  test.  If  the 
teacher  brings  the  backward  scholar  forward,  he  is  the 
teacher's  triumph.  "  What  thank  have  ye"  if  ye  make 
only  bright  scholars  learn?  "What  do  ye  more  than 
others  ?  " 

Sympathy. — I  suppose  the  first  requirement,  if  a  teacher 
would  help  a  backward  scholar,  is  that  he  be  sympathetic. 
You  cannot  greatly  help  any  scholar,  still  less  a  dull  one, 
until  you  believe  in  him,  and  show  him  that  you  believe 
in  him.  Remember  Sir  Walter  Scott,  and  all  the  rest  of 
the  long  line  of  brilliant  men  and  women  who  were 
stupid  children.  Recognize  diversities  of  gifts,  and  re- 
member that  not  all  children  are  cast  in  the  same  mold. 
Courage  will  be  half  of  progress  for  the  backward 
scholar,  and  your  courage  will  be  more  than  half  of  his. 

Comradeship.— Though  you  are  on  terms  of  comrade- 
ship with  no  others  of  your  class,  you  must  be  on  such 
terms  with  the  dull  scholar.  Your  immediate  pleasure 
would  lead  you  to  have  more  to  do  with  the  more  at- 
tractive pupil,  so  that  you  will  need  to  be  on  your  guard 
here.  Your  personal  leadership  must  move  the  back- 
ward scholar  forward,  and  he  will  not  follow  your 
leading  unless  he  likes  you. 

And  so  it  is  a  good  plan  to  invite  the  less  ready  scholar 
to  your  own  house,  to  study  the  lesson  with  you  ;  or,  go 

22 


WHAT   TO   DO    WITH   BACKWARD   SCHOLARS  23 

to  his  house  for  this  partnership  study.  You  can  show 
hi  in  how  to  study  better  in  this  way  than  any  other,  and 
that  is  the  first  thing  he  has  to  learn.  Besides,  with 
every  such  lesson  you  can  »come  into  more  intimate 
acquaintance  with  him. 

.  Along  this  line,  however,  the  aid  of  some  one  of  his 
own  age  will  be  wortli  more  than  yours.  Children  quite 
invariably  learn  more  readily  from  one  another  than 
from  their  elders — a  principle  too  often  left  out  of  sight 
in  secular  as  well  as  religious  instruction.  And  so,  if 
you  can  naturally  bring  it  about,  get  the  brighter  scholars 
to  study  the  lessons  with  the  duller  ones.  To  show  them 
how,  have  at  your  home  occasional  jolly  "study  bees" 
for  the  whole  class,  and  then  for  some  weeks  set  them  to 
studying  two  by  two,  the  duller  with  the  brighter  so  far 
as  you  can  arrange  it,  the  younger  with  the  older. 

There  is  one  great  advantage  in  going  to  the  back- 
ward scholar's  home  to  study  with  him, — you  thus 
become  familiar  with  his  home  surroundings.  Many  a 
poor  scholar  could  be  transformed  into  an  excellent  one 
if  you  could  obtain  the  cooperation  of  his  parents.  No 
teacher  can  work  very  long  in  the  homes  of  his  scholars 
without  waxing  zealous  for  a  home  department  of  the 
Sunday  school.  Establish  such  a  department,  make  a 
special  effort  to  obtain  the  membership  of  the  duller 
scholars'  parents,  persistently  urge  the  study  of  the  lesson 
as  a  united  family,  and  as  by  magic  your  stupid  scholars 
will  be  changed  into  earnest  and  effective  pupils. 

I  have  spoken  about  the  need  of  sympathy  with-  the 
backward  scholar,  such  sympathy  as  this  intimate  knowl- 
edge will  beget.     A  backward  scholar  should  never  be 


24  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

scolded,  in  the  class  or  out  of  it.  He  should  never  bo 
told  that  he  is  backward,  lie  should  never  be  allowed 
even  himself  to  admit  that  his  abilities  are  less  than  his 
comrades'.  Progress  will  be  made  through  a  feeling,  not 
of  inferiority,  but  of  power.  If  you  want  your  scholars 
to  work  you  must  till  them,  not  with  shame,  but  with 
interest. 

Begin  with  His  Best  Point. —  Find  out,  therefore,  what 
the  backward  scholar  can  do  most  easily  and  well,  and 
develop  that  first.  Get  him  to  help  you  make  ready  for 
teaching  the  lesson.  He  may  be  a  good  penman.  Get 
him  to  copy  out  the  little  question  slips  or  outline  slips 
you  hand  each  scholar  as  a  guide  to  the  next  week's 
study.  He  may  be  a  fair  reader.  Find  some  interesting 
paragraph  or  brief  article  or  poem  on  the  lesson,  or  some 
phase  of  it,  and  have  him  read  it  before  the  class,  pre- 
viously reading  it  at  home.  He  may  enjoy  drawing  and 
be  measurably  expert  at  it.  Set  him  to  preparing  some 
diagram  or  chart  or  map  for  you,  or  even,  if  he  is  suffi- 
ciently skilful,  get  him  to  copy  a  picture  of  some  Biblical 
landscape.  He  may  have  many  friends.  Interest  him 
in  the  work  of  obtaining  new  scholars.  He  may  be  ready 
of  speech.  Ask  him  to  exhibit  to  the  class  a  picture  or  a 
series  of  pictures  in  some  book,  accompanying  them  with 
running  comments. 

Set  Him  Definite  Tasks. — Give  him  a  single  question  to 
study  during  the  week  and  answer  the  next  Sunday. 
Assign  to  him  a  single  verse  of  the  lesson,  and  tell  him 
that  you  and  the  class  will  look  to  him,  and  to  him  alone, 
for  information  on  that  verse.  Give  him  a  single  anecdote 
or  other  illustration  of  the  lesson  theme,  and  ask  him  to 


WHAT  TO   DO    WITH    BACKWARD   SCHOLARS  25 

read  it  or  tell  it,'  and  apply  it  to  the  lesson.  Have  him 
write  out  the  lesson  story  in  his  own  words,  and  read 
this  paraphrase  as  an  introduction  to  the  next  Sunday's 
study. 

Form  a  definite  aim  in  your  own  mind  for  the  backward 
scholar,  some  little  goal  in  view,  the  actual  attainment  of 
which  will  comfort  you  with  assurance  of  progress. 
Tli is  goal  may  be  his  mastery  of  a  simple  outline  of  the 
quarter's  history,  his  grasp  of  a  single  great  truth  from 
the  quarter's  lessons,  his  retention  of  the  main  facts  of  a 
single  life,  or  his  ability  to  take  part  in  a  single  phase  of 
the  class  work.  Tell  him  what  is  your  aim  for  him. 
Devise  some  ledger  or  form  of  account  by  which  he  can 
measure  and  record  his  growth  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath. 
In  estimating  him  never  judge  him  by  others,  but  by 
himself,  bearing  distinctly  in  mind  his  initial  dulness, 
and  judging  his  advance  from  that. 

Especially,  praise  the  backward  scholar  just  as  soon  as 
you  honestly  can,  and  just  as  much  and  as  frequently  as 
you  honestly  can.  Praise  is  the  sunshine  to  his  growing. 
Get  others  to  praise  him  also.  Show  them  the  map  he 
has  drawn,  the  chart  he  has  made,  the  little  essay  he  has 
written  ;  and  if  he  is  not  present,  be  sure  to  repeat  to  him 
their  commendation. 

In  all  your  class  work  with  the  backward  scholar, 
put  yourself  in  his  place.  Try  to  imagine  his  mental 
gm  pings.  For  his  sake  be  very  clear,  even  on  points 
that  seem  to  you  to  be  self-evident.  The  fullest  of  ex- 
planations and  the  most  persistent  of  reviews  will  not  be 
an  injury  to  the  rest  of  the  class.  Many  children  seem 
to  know  more  than  they  actually,  on  thorough  exam- 


2<>  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

ination,  do  know ;  and  the  presence  of  backward  scholars 
may  thus  become  a  blessing  to  the  brightest  students. 

For  this  reason,  especially,  I  would  not  transfer  the 
dull  scholar  to  a  lower  class,  however  clear  it  is  that  an 
error  was  made  in  placing  him  where  he  is.  His  Bible 
study  may  be  spoiled  for  life  by  the  shame  of  such  a 
lowering  in  rank.  Of  course,  I  would  not  retain  a  back- 
ward scholar  where  his  presence  would  seriously  retard 
the  progress  of  others,  but,  in  our  flexible  Sunday-school 
work,  that  need  never  be  feared. 

It  may  be  an  advantage,  however,  to  try  another  teacher 
with  your  backward  scholar,  and  with  that  end  in  view 
it  would  be  well  to  effect  an  exchange  of  classes,  some 
Sunday,  with  some  teacher  quite  different  from  yourself. 
She  may  discover  the  secret  of  your  failure,  if  you  have 
failed,  and  be  able  to  suggest  to  you  ways  of  developing 
the  child  that  you  would  never  have  thought  of.  In  the 
same  spirit,  the  day-school  teacher  should  be  consulted, 
and  from  his  course  with  the  backward  scholar,  and  his 
fuller  knowledge,  born  of  longer  observation  than  your 
poor  hour  a  week  can  give  you,  he  will  be  able  very 
certainly  to  aid  you  in  your  difficult  task.  Humility  is 
one  of  the  true  teacher's  prime  virtues, — the  willingness 
to  learn  from  others. 

Indeed,  is  any  price,  of  lowliness,  painstaking,  or 
patience,  too  great  to  pay  for  the  awakening  of  an 
immortal  soul  ?  And  when  the  end  is  gained,  and  the 
backward  scholar  has  become  a  good  Bible  student, 
skilled  in  Christian  truth  and  even  able  to  lead  others, 
will  any  road  seem  too  long  that  you  have  traveled  to 
reach  that  goal  ? 


CHAPTER  IV 

WHAT  TO  DO  WHEN   THE   LESSON   HOUR  IS   CUT  SHORT 

One  of  the  great  advantages  the  secular  schools  possess 
over  the  Sunday  schools  is  their  uniform  teaching  periods. 
The  secular  teacher  knows  what  time  he  has  to  develop 
the  lesson.  He  is  not  likely  to  be  interrupted,  and  he  is 
certain  that  his  time  will  not  be  cut  short.  Indeed,  he 
would  not  tolerate  other  conditions. 

How  Our  Teaching  Time  is  Cut  Short. — In  Sunday 
schools,  on  the  contrary,  there  are  a  number  of  causes 
that  may  lessen  the  time  for  teaching.  If  the  school  is 
held  after  the  morning  services,  whatever  prolongs  them 
will  delay  its  opening,  and  part  of  the  time  thus  lost  is 
likely  to  be  taken  out  of  the  teaching  period.  The 
scholars  may  be  slow  in  arriving,  or  even  the  superintend- 
ent may  be  late.  The  opening  exercises  may  be  unduly 
prolonged  by  many  causes.  There  may  be  some  visitor, 
who  is  asked  to  "  make  a  few  remarks "  to  the  school ; 
and  "  a  few  "  is  woefully  indefinite !  There  may  be  new 
music  to  practise  for  a  special  occasion,  and  this  time  is 
unwisely  taken  for  the  purpose.  Your  school  may  be 
blessed  (?)  with  a  talking  superintendent,  who  confuses 
the  superintendent's  desk  with  a  pulpit,  and  must  have 
his  little  homily  though  the  proper  business  of  the  school, 
the  Bible  lesson,  is  crowded  out  into  the  cold.  Or,  you 
may  have  the  dilatory  superintendent,  or  the  fussy 
superintendent,  or  the  drawling  superintendent,  any  one 

27 


28  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

of  whom  is  good  for  ten  minutes  a  Sunday  stolen  from 
the  lesson  hour.  Finally,  a  threatening  storm,  or  various 
other  causes,  may  cut  short  the  hour  at  the  end. 

There  is  no  excuse  for  most  of  these  abbreviations  of 
the  teaching  time,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  the  teach- 
ers should  provide  against  the  recurrence  of  the  abuse  by 
protests  at  the  teachers'  meeting  or  in  private.  Gen- 
erally, the  singing  or  other  opening  exercises  should  be 
cut  short  rather  than  the  lesson.  Very  seldom  is  it  wise 
to  ask  any  one  to  address  the  school,  and  never  should 
any  one  that  is  destitute  of  the  grace  of  brevity  be  given 
such  an  opportunity  of  disastrous  dulness. 

However,  times  will  come  when  even  the  shrewdest 
superintendent  is  obliged  to  cut  short  the  lesson  hour. 
If  he  knows  what  is  coming,  he  will  give  notice  to  the 
teachers  as  long  in  advance  as  possible — on  the  previous 
Sunday,  or  at  the  be^innin^  of  the  session.  Sometimes 
lie  cannot  do  even  this. 

The  problem,  then,  is  a  real  perplexity.  The  difficulty 
is  one  that  spoils  many  lessons  in  many  schools.  No  one 
plan  is  adequate  to  meet  it,  but  I  must  name  many 
points  which  the  teacher  should  bear  in  mind  in  this 
emergency. 

A  Short  Plan.— Of  course,  if  advance  notice  is  given, 
the  teacher  can  form  a  short  plan  for  his  lesson.  He  can 
lay  out  a  set  of  clear-cut  questions.  He  can  go  through 
them  briskly.  He  may  surprise  himself  with  time  to  go 
through  them  again. 

Usually,  however,  there  is  no  such  notice,  but,  to  your 
dismay,  the  superintendent  comes  around,  as  you  are  just 
fairly  started,  and  says,  "Sorry,  but  we'll  have  to  close 


WHEN   THE   LESSON   HOUR  IS   CUT   SHORT  29 

in  ten  minutes,"  and  is  off  to  the  next  class.  Then 
what's  to  be  done? 

Be  Cheerful. — Well,  meet  the  emergency  with  a  smile. 
It  is  a  notable  test  of  your  pedagogical  resources.  If 
you  can  come  forth  victorious  from  a  suddenly  shortened 
lesson  hour,  you  can  conquer  almost  any  other  difficulty 
of  the  teacher's  art. 

Do  not  allow  a  feeling  of  dismay  and  of  uselessness  to 
possess  you.  Do  not  say  to  yourself,  "Only  ten 
minutes!"  Say  rather  to  yourself,  "  Now  for  six  hun- 
dred precious  seconds ! "  Unless  the  scholars  already 
know  it,  do  not  admit  them  into  the  secret  that  the 
teaching  time  has  been  abbreviated.  Certainly  do  not 
let  them  guess  it  from  your  manner.  Do  not  appear 
hurried,  for  that  will  spoil  the  effect  of  your  work. 
Many  a  soul  has  been  won  for  Christ  in  ten  minutes. 
For  all  we  know,  it  required  no  longer  than  that  to  win 
each  of  the  twelve  apostles.  Ten  minutes — why,  they  are 
■  .small  eternity  ! 

Your  "  At  Least."— Just  the  same,  in  spite  of  philoso- 
phy, it  is  far  better  to  have  your  course  of  procedure 
thoroughly  mapped  out  beforehand.  And  so  I  think 
that  every  lesson  should  be  studied  by  the  teacher  with  a 
view  both  to  a  long  plan  and  to  a  short  plan.  That  is, 
every  preparation  a  teacher  makes  should  have  an  "  at 
least "  section.  So  much,  at  least,  must  be  taught— these 
few  facts,  this  one  truth. 

A  lesson  that  is  thus  planned  in  sections  need  not  be 
taught  in  a  scrappy  way.  Indeed,  it  is  much  more 
likely  to  be  presented  as  a  well-balanced  whole.  You 
will  have  gained  that  sense   of  proportion  which  is  so 


30  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

large  a  part  of  wise  teaching.  You  will  have  recognized 
the  essentials  of  the  lesson,  and  placed  them  in  their 
rightful  supremacy  over  the  incidentals.  For  instance, 
you  will  not  be  likely,  in  teaching  about  the  woman  who 
touched  the  hem  of  Christ's  garment,  to  spend  half  the 
lesson  time  in  discussing  the  fashion  of  Oriental  robes. 

Recognize  Limitations. — It  is  a  great  thing  for  a 
teacher  to  recognize  limitations,  and  not  try  to  do  more 
than  under  the  circumstances  oan  be  well  done.  Here 
are  scholars  more  or  less  ignorant  and  stupid.  Here  is  a 
lesson  more  or  less  beyond  their  comprehension.  Here 
are  distractions  around  them.  Here  is  a  cramped  recita- 
tion period.  It  will  save  you  a  deal  of  discouragement 
and  will  render  your  teaching  far  more  effective  if  you 
will  plan  your  lesson  simply,  with  only  one  or  two  clear- 
cut,  easily  attained  ends  in  view  ;  in  other  words,  if  you 
will  plan  it  for  a  possible  cutting  short  of  the  lesson 
hour. 

Just  Three  Points. — And  so  I  would  have  a  regular 
schedule,  an  "  at  least "  schedule,  for  each  lesson.  Three 
points.  Three  points  only.  First,  just  what  happened. 
Second,  the  effect  of  this  happening  on  the  principal 
characters  and  on  history.  Third,  what  it  all  has  to  do 
with  our  own  lives.  The  routine  work — taking  the 
collection,  making  the  record  of  attendance,  perhaps 
even  the  distribution  of  the  papers — I  would  have  clone 
at  the  very  beginning  of  the  lesson  hour,  and  out  of  the 
way.  Then  I  would  plunge  at  once,  first  into  the  review, 
and  then  into  the  three  fundamentals  of  the  new  les- 
son, just  as  I  have  outlined  them. 

After  these  three  points  have  been  presented,  and  you 


WHEN  THE  LESSON  HOUR  IS   CUT  SHORT  31 

are  sure  the  class  have  mastered  them  thoroughly,  take 
up  the  subordinate  points, — the  details  of  customs  that 
are  not  essential  to  an  understanding  of  the  main  points, 
the  non-essential  phrases  and  sentences  in  the  text  that 
require  explanation,  and  the  minor  applications  to  modern 
life.  This  would  be  an  anticlimax  ?  Yes,  if  you  should 
stop  here;  but  a  few  minutes  should  always  be  left  at 
the  end  of  the  lesson,  that  you  may  bring  up  again  the 
central  teaching,  and  send  your  scholars  away  with  that 
ringing  in  their  heads. 

Such  experiences  as  this  article  refers  to  are  likely  to 
make  one  understand  the  advantages  of  written  questions. 
I  do  not  mean  the  printed  questions  on  the  lesson 
leaves,  though  those  are  far  better  than  they  used  to  be ; 
but  I  mean  your  very  own  questions,  carefully  thought 
out,  framed  with  brightness  and  variety,  and  precisely 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  your  class.  Though  I  should  al- 
ways write  out  such  questions,  for  it  is  the  best  of  prac- 
tice, I  should  not  ordinarily  read  them  ;  but  if  you  have 
in  your  pocket  such  a  list  of  questions,  how  fine  they  will 
be  to  fall  back  upon  when  the  demand  comes  for  a  swift 
close  of  the  lesson  !  Whip  them  out,  introduce  them 
with  eclat  as  a  novel  exercise,  read  them  briskly,  and 
the  class  will  be  delighted  with  the  change.  Very  likely 
you  will  be  able  to  go  over  the  entire  list  a  second 
time  before  the  superintendent  summons  the  school  to 
close. 

Come  Quickly  to  the  Point.— At  any  rate,  whatever 
method  you  adopt,  get  to  the  central  point  of  the 
lesson  as  soon  as  you  can.  (Not  every  teacher,  alas  ! 
knows   what   that  central   point  is.)     Whatever  little 


32  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

difficulties  arise,  whatever  questions  on  non-essentials  are 
asked,  postpone  them  to  the  end  of  the  lesson  or  promise 
to  answer  them  after  the  session.  Ask  the  hardest 
questions  of  the  brightest  scholars.  Expedite  matters  in 
every  way.     Oil  the  wheels  of  the  lesson. 

But  do  not,  for  the  sake  of  saving  time,  leave  out  the 
little  touches  by  which  you  hoped  to  get  the  lesson  re- 
membered. That  striking  illustration,  that  clear-cut  dia- 
gram, that  illuminating  picture, — be  sure  to  get  these  in. 
Don't  leave  the  class  with  the  skeleton  of  the  lesson  ; 
clothe  it  with  flesh  and  blood.  Remember:  there  is  ab- 
solutely no  use  in  teaching  at  all,  except  as  your  teaching 
is  remembered. 

The  Application  to  Life.— Therefore,  be  sure  to  make 
the  application.  It  is  by  the  application  that  a  lesson 
goes,  just  as  it  is  by  the  applied  postage  stamp  that  a  let- 
ter goes.  It  is  never  enough  to  get  a  lesson  into  the 
head — that  is  what  the  secular  schools  do ;  you  must  get 
it  into  the  heart,  if  yours  is  to  be  a  Sunday  school. 

For  there  is  no  Bible  lesson,  no  matter  how  hurried 
and  brief,  but  may  save  a  soul.  Plan  every  week  for 
that  blessed  end.  Expect  it  every  week.  Remember 
how  that  discouraged  minister  came  to  Spurgeon  and 
complained  because  after  years  of  preaching  he  could 
point  to  only  three  or  four  converts.  "  Why,  man 
alive ! "  exclaimed  the  modern  apostle,  "  you  don't 
expect  to  save  a  soul  every  time  you  preach,  do  you?" 
"Why,  no,  of  course  not,"  answered  the  minister. 
"  That's  why  you  don't,"  said  Spurgeon. 

So  that,  if  you  have  the  story  of  the  brazen  serpent  to 
teach,  and  less  time  than  usual  at  your  disposal,  you  will 


WHEN   THE   LESSON   HOUR  IS   CUT  SHORT  33 

of  course  be  sure  that  your  scholars  have  the  outline  of 
the  event, — where  the  Israelites  were,  whither  they  were 
bound,  what  peril  beset  them,  and  how  they  were  saved 
from  the  peril;  but  you  will  not  tarry  long  over  the 
route  through  the  desert,  or  the  exact  kind  of  snakes  that 
bit  the  Israelites,  for  you  will  be  eager  to  get  to  Christ, 
who,  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  has 
been  lifted  up  on  the  saving  cross.  You  will  give  them 
the  drink  of  water,  and  then,  if  there  is  time,  they  may 
examine  the  pattern  of  the  glass. 

Do  Not  Make  a  Ragged  Stop.— That  is  one  fault  of 
most  abbreviated  lessons.  Round  out  your  task  in  a 
workmanlike  manner.  You  may  be  discussing  a  trivial- 
ity when  the  warning  signal  comes.  Break  off  at  once 
and  return  to  the  great  heart  of  the  lesson.  Let  the  last 
words  be  of  that  resplendent  truth. 

But  stop,  anyway,  when  the  rest  of  the  school  stops. 
No  truth  you  may  be  teaching  is  so  valuable  as  the  ex- 
ample of  prompt  obedience. 

And  then,  when  you  reach  home,  think  it  all  over,  see 
just  how  you  did  it,  and  meditate  how  you  may  do  it 
better  when  next  such  an  emergency  arises.  This  retro- 
spect and  examination  are  well  bestowed  upon  every 
lesson,  but  they  are  doubly  necessary  and  valuable  when 
the  lesson  hour  has  been  cut  short. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   GOOD   OF  GOALS 

When  I  went  to  college  the  military  drill  of  the 
students  was  conducted  at  one  time  by  an  irascible  Ger- 
man drill  sergeant.  He  had  no  mercy,  either  on  our 
aching  muscles  or  on  our  addled  wits.  He  delighted  in 
tricks  to  trap  the  unwary.  Well  do  I  remember  how  he 
would  have  us  load  our  muskets,  and  then  in  measured, 
sonorous  tones  would  give  the  command  : 

"  .Make  ready — take  aim " 

Then  he  would  pause.  In  the  pause  some  heedless  and 
impatient  gun  would  be  sure  to  go  olf.  Outwardly  dis- 
gusted, but  inwardly,  I  have  no  doubt,  chuckling  glee- 
fully, our  sergeant  would  growl: 

"  Vy  don't  you  vinish  aiming?" 

Aimless  Work. — That  is  a  capital  question  for  the 
Sunday-school  teacher  to  ask  himself,  often  and  emphat- 
ically. So  much  of  our  Sunday-school  work  is  aimless. 
We  fire  loud-voiced  rounds,  but  the  bullets  have  no 
billets.  This  chapter  is  to  urge  the  establishment  of  goals, 
and  to  indicate  what  some  of  those  goals  should  be. 

Every  walker  knows  how  much  farther  he  can  go,  and 
how  much  more  easily,  when  he  is  walking  somewhither 
than  when  he  is  strolling  aimlessly.  Any  worker  knows 
how  gloriously  his  labor  is  promoted  by  a  division  into 
stints.  A  chapter  a  day,  for  the  writer,  and  the  book 
gets  done.     A  seam  a  day  for  the  busy  housewife,  and 

34 


THE  GOOD   OF   GOALS  35 

the  dress  gets  readily  made.  One  point  a  decade  for  the 
statesman,  and  his  nation  advances  to  an  empire.  Divi- 
sion of  labor  among  workmen  has  accomplished  miracles 
of  progress,  but  equally  important  is  division  of  a  task 
for  a  single  laborer. 

The  Satisfaction  of  Accomplishment.— And  not  only  is 
more  work  done  when  stints  are  measured  off  and  goals 
set  up,  but  the  work  is  done  with  more  zest.  We  are  not 
stupefied  by  the  leagues  ahead,  but  the  end  of  our  pres- 
ent journey  is  only  a  few  rods  distant.  The  mountain 
has  reduced  itself  to  shovelfuls,  the  impossible  has  be- 
come feasible.  We  leap  and  dance,  for  our  work  has  be- 
come play. 

And  after  we  have  reached  the  goal,  though  we  know 
another  goal  is  before  us,  what  a  pleasant  sense  of 
achievement!  Though  what  we  have  done  is  little,  it  is 
done,  it  is  behind  us,  it  is  not  to  be  done  over  again.  If 
"nothing  succeeds  like  success,"  it  is  also  true  that  no 
spur  to  fresh  endeavor  is  equal  to  past  accomplish- 
ment. 

One  reason  why  so  little  homo  study  is  done  in  prepa- 
ration for  Sunday-school  lessons  is  because  teachers  so 
seldom  give  their  scholars  definite  objects  for  study.  The 
pupils  are  set  down  in  a  labyrinth,  and  no  clew  is 
•d  in  their  hands.  They  are  willing,  most  of  them  ; 
but  even  where  there  is  a  will  there  is  not  always  a  way, 
or,  at  least,  a  visible  one. 

Say  to  your  class  :  "  Next  Sunday  I  want  each  of  you 
to  bring  me  a  list  of  the  twelve  leading  events  in  the  life 
of  Elisha,  and  put  them  as  nearly  as  you  can  in  chrono- 
logical order."     Tell  them  where  to  read  in  Kings  and 


36  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PKOBLKMS 

Chronicles,  and  you  will  have  the  best  lesson  on  Elisha 
you  ever  heard  recited. 

Say  to  your  class :  "  Next  Sunday  we  have  the  par- 
able of  the  prodigal  son.  I  want  each  of  you  to  read  it 
carefully,  and  write  out  and  bring  in  a  statement  of  the 
different  lessons  you  think  it  teaches."  Let  them  mark 
the  parable  in  their  Bibles,  to  make  sure  they  can  find  it. 
Give  them  each  a  sheet  of  paper — a  small  sheet  of  paper 
— on  which  the  teachings  of  the  parable  are  to  be  writ- 
ten. You  will  be  measurably  sure  of  some  thought  on 
that  lesson,  and  of  a  good  recitation. 

Say  to  your  class:  "It's  a  temperance  lesson  next 
Sunday.  I  think  that,  with  a  little  study,  you  can  bring 
in  complete  lists  of  the  Bible  passages  that  teach  temper- 
ance." Show  them  how  to  use  concordance  and  Bible 
index,  and  tell  them  how  fine  it  will  be  to  finish  one 
Bible  subject,  actually  to  master  it.  You  will  touch 
high-water  mark  in  that  temperance  lesson. 

Thus  for  each  lesson  you  will  set  up  a  different  goal,  a 
goal  related  to  the  very  heart  of  the  lesson,  something 
definite  to  be  aimed  at  in  the  studying,  and  a  clearly 
marked  road  thither.  There  is  no  other  way  to  get  home 
study  than  this ;  there  is  no  other  way  to  get  clear,  brisk 
recitations. 

A  Goal  for  Each  Quarter.— At  the  beginning  of  every 
quarter,  as  at  the  beginning  of  every  week,  a  goal  should 
be  set  up.  It  will  link  all  the  lessons  together  with  a 
purposeful  enthusiasm.  It  will  make  a  rememberable 
whole  of  what  would  otherwise  be  thirteen  haphazard 
pieces. 

Let  it  be  a  feasible  goal,  not  so  easy  as  to  require  no 


THE  GOOD   OF   GOALS  37 

effort,  nor  so  difficult  as  to  stupefy  effort.  It  must  be 
ahead  of  the  scholar,  or  it  is  no  goal ;  it  must  not  be  out 
of  reach,  or  again  it  is  no  goal. 

For  example,  if  you  are  studying  the  life  of  Christ,  fix 
as  a  goal  the  ability  to  name  all  the  recorded  events  in 
that  life  in  chronological  order.  Few  in  the  school, — 
young  or  old — can  now  do  this.  Perhaps  none.  But  the 
task  is  well  within  the  reach  of  all  but  the  youngest. 

Or,  if  all  the  quarter's  lessons  lie  within  one  book  of 
the  Bible,  establish  the  purpose  to  give  each  chapter 
of  the  book  a  title  appropriate  to  the  contents,  and  com- 
mit these  names  to  memory,  with  frequent  drills  in  find- 
ing, by  the  use  of  that  key,  any  subject  that  is  treated  in 
the  book. 

Or,  if  the  lessons  deal  with  the  kings  of  Israel  and 
Judali,  draw  two  parallel  lines,  and  set  up  as  your  goal 
that  the  class  shall  become  able  to  mark  off  upon  those 
lines,  in  order,  the  reigns  of  the  kings  of  the  two  king- 
doms, giving  each  its  appropriate  length  and  marking 
upon  each  the  principal  events  in  the  history. 

If  you  are  studying  the  Acts  or  the  Epistles,  aim  in 
the  same  way  to  make  an  outline  of  events,  inserting 
each  Epistle  in  its  proper  place  in  Paul's  life. 

The  goal  you  set  up  will  depend,  of  course,  on  the  age 
and  ability  of  your  class,  whether  it  shall  be  near  or  far 
away,  and  reached  by  an  uphill  road  or  a  level.  This, 
however,  will  be  true  of  all  classes :  that  the  quarter's 
goal  must  be  simple,  definite,  reachable,  and  touching  all 
the  lessons  at  their  central  points. 

So  far  as  possible,  let  the  quarter's  goals  of  all  the 
classes  be  the  same.     Teachers  and  scholars  can  then 


38  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

compare  notes  and  spur  one  another  on.  School  tests  of 
progress  are  possible,  and  pleasant  emulation  that  is  out 
of  the  question  where  the  goals  are  heterogeneous. 

Definite  Goals. — There  is  danger  that  in  fixing  on  your 
goal  you  will  not  make  it  clear  to  your  own  mind,  and 
therefore  you  cannot  hope  to  make  it  clear  to  the  minds 
of  the  children.  Write  down  in  black  and  white  what 
the  goal  shall  be.  Write  it  out  for  your  class  as  well  as 
for  yourself.  Go  to  the  goal  yourself,  before  you  an- 
nounce it,  and  examine  every  foot  of  the  way  thither, 
just  as  a  surveyor  makes  wljat  he  calls  a  "preliminary 
reconnoissance "  with  pacing  and  pocket  compass  be- 
fore he  goes  over  the  ground  with  chain  and  theodo- 
lite. 

Graphic  Presentations. — This  definiteness  which  is  the 
great  gain  of  goals  is  distinctly  enhanced  b}T  some  graphic 
presentation  of  the  object  in  view.  For  example,  if  you 
want  the  scholars  to  learn  the  events  of  Elijah's  life,  have 
them  make  outline  maps  of  Palestine,  extended  from 
Zarephath  to  Sinai,  and  place  figures  1,  2,  3,  etc.,  at  the 
points  that  are  the  scenes  of  the  successive  events.  Fre- 
quent reviews,  both  with  and  without  the  maps,  will  fix 
them  in  the  memory. 

Do  not  be  afraid  of  tests,  nor  even  of  written  examina- 
tions If  the  scholars  have  actually  made  definite  prog- 
ress, they  will  be  proudly  eager  to  prove  their  gains- 
Sunday  schools  will  not  balk  at  written  examinations 
when  their  work  ceases  to  be  chaotic  and  becomes  syste- 
matic. 

Do  not  mistake  a  goal  that  you  set  up  for  yourself, 
and  think  it  is  necessarily  therefore  your  scholars'  goal. 


THE   GOOD   OF   GOALS  39 

Do  not  rest  till  they  have  adopted  it  with  their  interest 
and  desire. 

Yes,  even  after  this  has  happened,  the  teacher  must 
hold  hifl  class  to  I  heir  aim.  Determinations  easily  flag. 
There  are  many  other  goals  to  confuse,  outside  the  Sun- 
day school.  The  teacher  must  often  be  his  scholars'  per- 
sistence. Do  not  allow  the  goal  to  fail  out  of  sight  a 
single  Sunday.  Speak  of  it  often.  Advertise  it  ingeni- 
ously.    Insist  upon  it. 

Especially,  put  into  this  goal-pursuit  the  zest  of  a  game. 
Sometimes  you  can  wisely  introduce  friendly  contests, 
half  the  class  against  the  other  half.  Sometimes  you 
can  wisely  offer  a  suitable  reward,  one  that  can  be  gained 
by  all  who  attain  a  certain  standard  of  excellence.  But 
whatever  spur  you  use,  manifestly  enjoy  the  work  your- 
self, and  your  scholars  are  quite  certain  to  enjoy  it  with 
you. 

Cheer  the  young  workers  by  noting  the  progress  they 
make  all  along  the  way.  Interest  their  parents  in  the 
endeavor  the  children  are  making,  and  get  their  help  to- 
ward the  goal.  And  when  the  end  is  reached,  arrange 
some  jubilee  to  signalize  the  achievement.  Perhaps  it 
will  be  formal  exercises  on  review  day,  with  essays,  and 
with  specially  invited  guests.  Perhaps,  if  the  goal  has 
meant  the  construction  of  maps  or  diagrams  or  the  like, 
it  will  be  an  exhibition  of  these  where  all  the  church  may 
see.  The  superintendent  will  announce  to  the  school 
what  has  been  accomplished.  The  pastor  may  even  re- 
joice over  it  in  his  sermon. 

Cumulative  Goals.— The  goals  of  successive  quarters, 
thus   bravely    won,   should,   if   possible,   themselves   be 


40  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

linked  together.  To  this  end  a  long  look  ahead  must  be 
taken,  over  the  lessons  of  an  entire  year.  Select  such 
goals  that  the  work  may  be  cumulative.  Fix  on  a  suc- 
cession of  goals  of  cognate  interest — historical,  biograph- 
ical, doctrinal — and  thus  bind  the  year's  study  into  a  unit. 
This  is  not  always  possible ;  but  it  is  a  fine  thing  where 
it  is  possible. 

Goals  for  the  School.— Thus  far  the  scholars  in  their 
classes.  But  all  I  have  said  about  the  value  of  definite 
goals  and  the  wise  way  of  seeking  them,  applies  equally 
well  to  the  school  as  a  whole.  Whatever  you  wish  the 
school  to  achieve,  superintendent,  break  it  up  into  small, 
precise  tasks,  and  set  them  before  the  school  as  special 
aims  for  accomplishment  within  given  times. 

These  goals  will  be  as  diverse  as  the  needs  of  the 
schools.  Perhaps  it  will  be  an  endeavor  to  persuade  all 
to  bring  their  Bibles  to  school.  At  the  opening  of  every 
session,  then,  have  all  the  Bibles  in  the  school  held  up, 
while  the  class  treasurers  count  them,  and  report  their 
number  when  the  collection  is  reported.  Announce  the 
number  at  the  close  of  the  school,  with  earnest  comment 
on  the  increase  or  decrease.  Keep  a  blackboard  notice 
before  the  school,  with  figures  on  the  point  for  a  number 
of  Sundays.  Stick  to  your  aim  till  you  are  sure  that  all 
the  scholars  have  formed  the  habit  of  bringing  their 
Bibles ;  then  celebrate  your  triumph,  and  set  up  a  new 
goal. 

That  new  goal  may  be  a  one  hundred  per  cent,  en- 
largement of  your  school.  Note  the  preciseness  ;  not  an 
enlargement,  but  a  one-hundred-per-cent.  enlargement,  or 
whatever  detinite  increase  seems  feasible.     Place  a  va- 


THE  GOOD   OF  GOALS  41 

cant  chair  by  the  side  of  each  scholar,  and  let  it  remain 
there  until  the  scholar  fills  it  with  a  recruit.  Report 
every  Sunday  the  number  of  chairs  filled  for  the  first 
time,  and  the  number  that  remain  to  be  filled.  Draw  on 
the  blackboard  one  hundred  squares,  and  till  them  up 
with  white  or  red  as  each  chair  is  tilled.  And  finally, 
when  all  are  occupied,  hold  a  jubilee  !  . 

Perhaps  your  goal  is  promptness.  You  may  give  each 
scholar  a  number,  and  number  a  series  of  badges  arranged 
on  a  board  with  hooks,  that  is  placed  at  the  entrance. 
As  each  scholar  enters  he  takes  the  badge  bearing  his 
number,  and  pins  it  on.  But  the  badges  are  removed  as 
soon  as  the  school  is  opened,  so  that  late  coiners  wear 
no  badge  and  are  counted  by  the  secretary.  The  badges 
are  collected  in  baskets  as  the  scholars  pass  out.  This  is 
continued  till  the  happy  month  when,  through  all  its 
weeks,  every  scholar  has  worn  the  badge.  Then  you 
celebrate  your  victory,  and  set  up  another  goal. 

There  are  many  more  goals  for  which  the  entire  school 
may  strive, — that  all  may  sing,  that  the  contributions 
may  reach  a  certain  average,  that  the  library  books  may 
be  read  to  a  certain  extent,  that  a  certain  proportion  of 
scholars  may  be  reported  as  having  studied  the  lesson  at 
home  at  least  an  hour  each  v  eek,  that  perfect  order  shall 
immediately  follow  the  superintendent's  lifting  of  his 
hand  at  the  opening  of  the  school, — ah,  there  are  so 
many  ways  in  which  our  schools  may  be  improved,  so 
many  goals  yet  to  reach  ! 

Goals  for  Teachers  and  Officers.— Nor  are  these  goals, 
so  useful  for  the  scholars,  one  whit  less  valuable  for 
officers  and  teachers.     That  we  will  maintain  a  teachers, 


42  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

meeting  this  year,  and  always  be  present  when  possible 
— what  a  goal  is  that,  crowned  with  what  regal  possi- 
bilities !  That  we  will  have  regular  cabinet  meetings — 
meetings  of  pastor,  superintendent,  and  officers — another 
magnificent  goal.  That  every  teacher  will  try  to  win 
for  Christ  this  year  every  scholar  of  his  class — the  best 
goal  of  all. 

And,  finally,  there  are  certain  goals  of  the  inner  life 
that  must  be  set  up  in  the  heart  of  each  man  or  woman 
who  is  seeking  Sunday  school  success.  The  goal  of  a 
perfect  motive — that  I  will  come  to  do  this  thing,  not 
from  a  sense  of  duty  nor  with  any  selfish  or  half-selfish 
aim,  but  solely  because  I  love  Christ  and  love  his  chil- 
dren. The  goal  of  preparation — that  I  will  spend  half 
an  hour  a  day  on  my  lesson.  The  goal  of  personality— 
that  I  will  become  a  friend,  an  intimate,  of  each  of  my 
scholars.  The  goal  of  a  wider  vision — that  I  will  attend 
so  many  Sunday-school  conventions  this  year,  read  such 
and  such  books  and  teachers'  helps.  The  goal  of  peda- 
gogy— that  I  will  overcome  this  defect  of  manner,  win 
this  grace  or  skill  of  the  perfect  teacher.  Yes,  yes;  how 
goal  adds  itself  to  goal,  a  new  one  blessedly  rising  to 
view  just  as  we  reach  the  cynosure  of  past  endeavor! 

For  it  is  the  rule  of  the  Christian  life — this  rule  of  goals. 
It  governs  all  progress  along  all  lines  of  Christian  effort. 
Every  goal  is  a  golden  milestone  along  the  road  to  the 
New  Jerusalem.  Therefore,  "  forgetting  the  things  that 
are  behind,  and  reaching  forward  to  the  things  that  are 
before,  let  us  press  toward  each  goal,  for  the  prize  of  the 
high  calling  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 


CHAPTER  VI 

WHAT   TO   DO   WITH   THE   DISORDERLY   SCHOLAR 

If  the  teacher  has  disorderly  scholars  in  his  class,  the 
lesson  is  constantly  perched  on  an  active  volcano.  At 
any  moment  there  may  be  an  explosion,  and  the  lesson 
will  be  torn  to  fragments  or  buried  in  debris.  There  is 
BO  assurance  of  either  pleasure  or  profit  in  a  class  that  is 
subject  to  disorder.  Yes,  and  if  there  is  disorder  in  your 
cl;t>s,  there  is  not  much  hope  for  the  class  next  to  you. 
If  order  is  heaven's  first  law  (as  it  is),  it  is  certainly  the 
first  law  of  that  heavenly  tiling,  the  Sunday  school. 

Disorder  is  always  a  result,  for  which,  somewhere, 
there  is  a  cause.  Don't  doctor  symptoms.  Discover 
what  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  disorder,  and  remedy  that. 

The  disorder  may  be  due  only  to  the  overflowing 
vitality  of  the  boys  and  girls.  In  that  case,  take  a  leaf 
from  the  secular  schools  and  try  a  bit  of  calisthenics  just 
before  the  lesson  is  taught. 

It  may  be  due  to  bad  air.     Open  the  windows. 

It  may  all  spring  from  some  mischievous  scholar. 
Quell  him  or  expel  him. 

It  may  be  due  (more  than  likely — saving  your  pres- 
ence— it  m  doe)  to  unskilful  teaching.  Then  learn  your 
trade. 

The  Start. — Certainly,  with  almost  no  exceptions,  an 
interested  class  is  an  orderly  one.  Much  depends  upon 
the  way  you  start  out,  and  no  part  of  the  lesson  deserves 

43 


44  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

such  careful  planning  as  the  first  three  sentences.  If 
you  begin  in  a  hesitant,  apologetic,  faint-hearted  way, 
you  have  thrown  up  your  case  at  the  outset.  If  you 
begin  with  some  surprising  statement,  or  some  brisk 
question,  or  with  the  holding  up  of  some  object  or  pic- 
ture, you  will  hook  the  most  lively  attention  before  it 
has  time  to  wriggle  out  of  the  way. 

Much  depends  also  on  how  you  continue,  after  you 
have  thus  started  out.  Keep  things  moving.  Moving 
objects  hold  the  eye,  and  a  lesson  that  progresses  swiftly 
(if  not  too  swiftly)  holds  the  mind.  By  careful  prepara- 
tion come  to  be  at  home  in  the  lesson,  so  that  you  can 
range  through  it  with  easy  freedom.  Get  a  goal,  and 
leap  toward  it.     Your  class  will  run  eagerly  alongside. 

Much  depends  also  upon  the  expression  of  your  face. 
A  bright,  quick  eye,  a  mouth  all  ready  to  smile,  a  face 
mobile  to  every  changing  thought  and  responsive  to 
every  thought  of  the  scholars,  will  attract  and  hold  your 
class.  A  putty  face,  heavy  and  listless,  will  put  them  to 
sleep — or  to  mischief. 

And  much  depends  upon  the  voice, — whether  it  is  rasp- 
ing or  flabby,  or,  perchance,  is  loving,  cheery,  and  vibrant. 
On  the  whole,  the  right  kind  of  voice  is  the  teacher's 
most  important  exterior  assistant.  Some  teachers  can 
do  more  with  a  restless  class  by  the  one  word  "  Now  " 
(and  any  other  word  will  do),  than  many  teachers  by  a 
half  hour's  exhortation. 

Hand-Work. — Whatever  qualities  the  teacher  may  pos- 
sess, however,  she  must  count  as  her  best  ally  in  the 
preservation  of  order  the  scholars'  own  hands.  Provide 
some  work   for  them.     Hand-work  affords  usually  the 


WHAT  TO   DO   WITH   THE   DISORDERLY    SCHOLAR   45 

best  avenue  for  instruction,  as  well  as  the  best  remedy 
for  disorder. 

This  hand-work  will  vary,  of  course,  with  the  lesson. 
Sometimes  it  will  be  the  copying  of  an  outline  map  or 
the  drawing  of  a  map  from  memory.  Sometimes  it  will 
be  a  diagram  that  is  copied,  or  a  tabular  outline  of  the 
lesson.  Sometimes  the  teacher  will  read  slowly  a  list  of 
questions  that  call  for  very  brief  answers,  and  the  class 
will  be  busied  writing  the  answers.  Sometimes,  if  your 
scholars  are  old  enough,  they  may  be  set  to  copying 
some  outline  picture  of  a  simple  object,  such  as  an 
Oriental  lamp.  Sometimes  they  may  be  persuaded  to 
write  paraphrases  of  the  lesson  text,  or  statements  of  the 
lesson  teachings.  One  exercise  of  this  kind,  calling  for 
hand-work,  I  would  introduce  into  every  lesson,  plan- 
ning for  it  long  ahead.  It  will  prove  a  sovereign 
remedy  for  disorder. 

Work  at  Home.— Sometimes  it  will  be  necessary  to  do 
personal  work  with  some  particularly  irrepressible 
scholar.  You  must  get  into  helpful  and  close  relations 
with  him.  Go  to  his  house.  Invite  him  to  tea  at  your 
house.  Try  raspberry  jam  as  a  lubricant.  Never 
threaten  him  without  carrying  out  your  threat ;  better, 
never  threaten  him  at  all.  Scolding  disorder  is  like 
spreading  mustard  on  a  burn.  Devise  some  occupation 
for  the  restless  one.  Many  a  shrewd  teacher  has  taken 
the  worst  boy  in  his  class  and  made  him  class  sergeant 
to  keep  order;  and  he  has  kept  it.  Such  a  scholar,  too, 
is  just  the  one  to  take  up  the  class  collection,  keep  the 
class  records,  clean  the  blackboard  (if  you  luckily— or  en- 
terprisingly— have  one),  and  aid  the  teacher  in  drawing 


40  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

maps  and  making  diagrams  for  her  teaching  opera- 
tions. 

Getting  Help. — Rarely,  and  yet  sometimes,  the  teacher 
will  find  it  wise  to  get  assistance  in  subduing  the  disor- 
derly scholar.  If  the  other  scholars  can  be  trusted, 
quietly  appeal  to  them  to  help  maintain  order  and  not  to 
join  in  any  pranks  that  may  be  started.  If  the  superin- 
tendent is  a  wise  man,  call  in  his  aid.  Perhaps  a  few 
sentences  from  him,  with  the  boy  apart,  will  end  the 
whole  struggle.  If  the  parents  are  wise  (that  is,  if  they 
really  look  at  their  child  with  seeing  eyes),  tell  them 
frankly  about  his  misdemeanors,  and  secretly  conspire 
with  them  to  make  him  what  he  should  be. 

For  elasses  that  are  old  enough  to  carry  out  the  plan, 
try  throwing  upon  them  the  responsibility  of  self-govern- 
ment. A  class  organization — constitution,  president, 
committees,  and  all  the  rest — has  a  beautifully  steady- 
ing influence.  A  committee  on  order,  nominated  and 
elected  by  the  scholars  themselves,  will  by  that  very  proc- 
ess of  election  be  rendered  almost  unnecessary.  This 
plan  is  in  harmony  witli  the  self-governing  methods 
that  have  been  found  so  useful  in  various  secular 
schools. 

Finally,  but  most  important  of  all,  try  to  cultivate  in 
your  class  a  spirit  of  reverence  for  sacred  places  and  holy 
themes.  1  know  of  no  better  way  of  doing  this 
than  by  a  brief  prayer  just  before  the  lesson,  all 
heads  being  bowed  while  the  teacher  asks  the  divine 
blessing  upon  the  class  and  upon  the  truths  that  are  to  be 
studied.  Nor  would  it  be  at  all  out  of  place  for  the 
teacher  to  pause,  even  in  the  middle  of  the  lesson,  at 


WHAT  TO   DO    WITH   THE   DISORDERLY   SCHOLAR  47 

some  solemn  and  impressive  point,  and  request  the  class 
to  bow  their  heads  in  silent  prayer,  asking  God  to  im- 
press the  truth  upon  their  minds  and  help  them  to  carry 
it  out  in  their  lives.  If  the  tone  of  the  class  is  such  that 
this  moment  of  prayer  would  come  naturally  and  easily, 
there  need  be  no  fear  of  disorder. 

The  Superintendent's  Responsibility. — Much  of  what  I 
have  said  will  apply  equally  well  to  the  order  of  the  en- 
tire school ;  and  yet  of  course  this  requires  a  little 
different  treatment  from  the  class,  and  I  must  next  ad- 
dress the  superintendent.  We  must  remember  that  dis- 
order breeds  disorder.  A  school  that  is  allowed  to  be  dis- 
orderly at  the  opening  will  be  disorderly  when  it  sepa- 
rates into  classes,  and  class  disorder  means  a  disorderly 
close,  when  the  school  comes  together  again. 

To  get  order  in  a  school,  one  must  begin  before  the 
school  begins.  With  delightful  zeal,  the  children  are 
likely  to  be  over-prompt.  When  the  school,  as  in  so 
many  places,  is  held  just  after  the  morning  service,  the 
grown-ups  are  still  in  church,  and  those  children  that  did 
not  go  to  church  have  the  schoolroom  to  their  riotous 
selves.  No  matter  where  or  when  the  school  is  held, 
some  older  person  should  be  in  the  schoolroom  half  an 
hour  before  the  opening.  If  I  were  the  superintendent,  I 
should  want  to  be  there  myself,  ready  for  consultation 
with  any  officer  or  teacher,  and  eager  to  take  advantage 
of  any  chance  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  scholars. 
If  this  at  any  time  is  difficult  or  inexpedient,  I  should  ap- 
point some  one  else  to  this  service,  or  perhaps  a  succes- 
sion of  persons,  each  taking  the  task  for  a  month.  More- 
ever,  the  trouble  may  be  greatly  diminished  by  urging 


48  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

the  children  not  to  come  so  long  beforehand,  and  the 
parents  not  to  send  them  over-soon. 

Whoever  superintends  these  early  comers  must  have 
something  provided  to  occupy  their  time.  Mere  forcible 
repression  will  only  insure  a  postponement  of  disorder. 
Perhaps  the  best  aid  is  a  book  full  of  pictures,  each  of 
which  requires  a  little  explanation.  Or  a  collection  of 
photographs  from  Bible  lands  may  be  used  with  fine 
effect. 

The  second  necessity,  if  one  would  have  an  orderly 
school,  is  that  the  school  begin  on  time.  I  deprecate  the 
use  of  a  call-bell.  It  should  be  enough  simply  for  the 
superintendent  to  step  to  the  platform  and  raise  his  hand. 
If  teachers  and  scholars  are  taught  to  watch  for  the 
signal  and  respond  to  it  instantly  with  perfect  order,  the 
drill  and  the  weekly  obedience  will  prove  one  of  the 
greatest  gains  that  come  from  the  entire  work  of  the 
school. 

This  initial  quiet  should  have  a  well-understood  pur- 
pose. What  better  than  prayer,  silent  prayer  with  bowed 
heads  for  God's  presence  and  blessing  ?  Print  a  brief 
form  for  it,  and  hang  it  before  the  school  for  the  use  of 
the  younger  scholars,  and  as  a  constant  model  for  this 
unvoiced  petition.  At  the  close  of  this  moment  of  silent 
prayer,  without  prelude  except  the  sounding  of  the 
chord,  let  the  school  sing  softly  some  stanza  of  a  familiar 
hymn,  which  may  be  changed  from  month  to  month  or 
from  quarter  to  quarter. 

A  regular  and  brisk  order  of  service  helps  much  to 
make  an  orderly  school.  Pack  it  full  of  things  for  the 
scholars  to  do.     Leave  little  room  for  the  superintendent, 


WHAT  TO   DO   WITH   THE   DISORDERLY   SCHOLAR  49 

secretary,  or  any  other  officer.  The  talking  superintend- 
ent is  a  recognized  Sunday-school  peril.  Let  him  talk  up 
the  school  in  private,  and  not  talk  it — down — in  public. 
In  Mr.  Wanaiuaker's  great  school  the  young  folks  are 
kept  constantly  eager  for  their  part.  Now  they  must 
say,  "  Good-morning,  Mr.  Wanamaker."  Now  they  must 
hold  up  their  Bibles.  Now  they  must  sing.  Now  they 
must  read  in  concert.  The  opening  exercises  are  an  ani- 
mated drill,  and  no  one  has  time  to  grow  fidgety. 

It  is  very  necessary,  if  an  order  of  exercises  is  to  be 
carried  out  in  an  orderly  way,  that  there  should  be 
no  gaps  in  it,  no  pauses  while  the  superintendent  is 
finding  his  place  in  the  Bible,  or  consulting  with  some 
other  officer,  or  while  the  secretary  is  feeling  in  his 
pockets  for  some  announcement  he  intends  to  read.  Such 
gaps  are  like  holes  in  a  fence,  through  which  a  whole 
drove  of  mischiefs  is  likely  to  leap.  If  the  superintend- 
ent, with  a  strong  voice,  a  decisive  air,  and  thorough 
preparation  of  all  details,  passes  swiftly  from  point  to 
point  of  his  programme,  he  will  sweep  the  school  along 
with  him  in  perfect  and  beautiful  order. 

Locate  the  Trouble.— In  spite,  however,  of  all  these 
precautions,  some  particularly  unruly  scholar  or  set  of 
scholars  may  persist  in  disturbing  the  school.  The 
trouble  will  radiate  out,  and  first  of  all  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  locate  its  source,  and  deal  with  that  especial  class 
or  scholar.  Too  often  the  mistake  is  made  of  scolding 
the  entire  school  for  what  is  really  the  fault  of  a  very 
few,  and  the  school  speedily  resents  this  injustice. 

The  first  step  is  always  for  the  superintendent  to  speak 
to  the  teacher.     It  is  his  business  to  preserve  order  in  his 


50  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

own  precinct ;  never  take  his  work  out  of  his  hands 
till  he  has  proved  himself  incompetent.  Sometimes,  in- 
stead of  speaking  to  the  one  teacher,  it  will  be  sufficient 
to  give  an  indirect  hint  through  a  general  talk  at  the 
teachers'  meeting  on  the  subject  of  disorder,  and  the 
teachers'  responsibility  for  it. 

Failing  the  teachers'  effective  action,  the  next  step  is 
for  the  superintendent  to  deal  directly  with  the  offending 
scholars;  never  by  a  public  reprimand,  which  is  more 
than  likely  to  fix  them  in  opposition  to  the  rule  of  the 
school,  but  by  private  exhortation. 

If  even  this  proves  useless,  the  third  step  is  a  call  upon 
the  parents,  a  frank  statement  of  the  condition  of  affairs, 
the  child  himself  being  present,  and  a  loving,  manly  ap- 
peal for  their  assistance  in  the  matter. 

The  last  remedy,  of  course,  is  expulsion;  and  I  am  per- 
suaded that,  long  before  the  need  for  that  arises,  the 
other  remedies  1  have  named  will  prove  efficacious. 

Getting  Authority.— The  Sunday  school  may  be  made 
as  orderly  as  the  secular  schools.  It  will  not  be  as  easy, 
because  in  the  secular  schools  the  teacher  is  backed  up 
by  legal  authority.  But  authority  may  be  obtained  for 
the  Sunday-school  superintendent  and  teachers.  It  is  to 
be  won  from  the  parents.  Get  them  to  visit  the  school 
often.  Their  presence  will  of  itself  transform  many  a 
turbulent  scholar.  Better,  enlist  them  among  the  regu- 
lar members  of  the  school.  A  disorderly  scholar  whose 
parents  are  interested  and  regular  participants  in  the 
school  work,  is  indeed  a  rare  bird.  As  the  parents  come 
in  touch  with  the  needs  of  the  school  and  understand  the 
aims  of  the  teachers,  they  will  gradually  become  ready 


WHAT  TO   DO    WITH   THE   DISORDERLY    SCHOLAR   51 

and  eager  to  back  up  the  officers  and  teachers  with  what- 
ever authority  they  need  to  reprove,  correct,  and  disci- 
pline. The  parents  will  be  added  to  the  superintendent's 
staff ;  they  will  become  his  orderlies. 


CHAPTER  VII 

IS   THE   GULDEN    TEXT    WORTH    WHILE  ? 

Yes,  if  it  is  used  ;  no,  if  it  isn't. 

The  golden  text  takes  space  in  our  lesson  helps.  It 
costs  time  and  thought  to  select  it.  It  means  trouble 
and  expense  all  along  the  line.  I  have  a  feeling  that 
comparatively  few  teachers  use  it,  and  that  only  a  few 
of  those  few  use  it  in  such  a  way  that  it  amounts  to  any- 
thing. Now,  if  it  is  worth  while,  let  us  change  all  this; 
and  if  it  isn't  worth  while,  let  us  frankly  abolish  it. 

It  is  worth  while. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  worth  while  to  commit  it  to 
memory.  I  have  just  gone  over  the  golden  texts  for  the 
present  year.  Four  out  of  the  fifty- two,  though  for 
other  reasons  wisely  chosen,  are  not  sufficiently  pointed 
outside  their  immediate  application,  and  not  worth  com- 
mitting to  memory  ;  they  are  merely  fragments  of  narra- 
tive. The  remaining  forty  eight,  however,  are  precisely 
the  kind  of  verses  we  wish  to  store  up  in  our  minds  and 
those  of  our  children.  There  is  far  too  little  committing 
to  memory  of  Scripture  nowadays,  and  this  use  alone  of 
the  golden  texts  would  warrant  their  selection. 

Especially  would  it  be  well  to  fix  upon  the  mind  the 
chapter  and  verse  numbers.  A  little  extra  labor  and 
pains  will  effect  this,  and  the  value  of  a  scripture  quota- 
tion is  quite  doubled  if  you  can  give  its  exact  location. 
Many  of  the  golden  texts  are  chosen  from  distant  parts 

52 


IS   THE   GOLDEN   TEXT    WORTH   WHILE?  53 

of  the  Bible,  and  in  considering  them  you  have  frequent 
opportunities  to  show  the  unity  of  the  Book,  and  exhibit 
the  beautiful  interlocking  of  its  parts. 

Review  Them. — This  use  of  the  golden  texts  necessi- 
tates frequent  reviews  of  them.  The  verses  and  their 
locations  will  speedily  slip  from  your  scholars'  minds 
otherwise.  A  brisk  review  of  the  golden  texts  might  be 
made  the  opening  exercise  in  your  class,  and  it  would 
answer,  in  part  at  least,  for  that  review  of  former  les- 
sons which  is  so  necessary  if  you  would  gain  permanent 
results. 

Indeed,  the  golden  texts  of  the  quarter  make  an  ad- 
mirable backbone  for  review  day.  Each  text  is  usually 
the  key  to  its  lesson.  The  selection  is  sometimes  open 
to  criticism,  but  what  isn't  ?  Certainly,  though  we  might 
be  better  pleased  with  the  set  of  golden  texts  that  you 
and  I  might  select,  that  satisfaction  would  not  extend  to 
the  Sunday-school  world. 

Use  the  texts,  then,  from  week  to  week,  keeping  re- 
view day  in  mind.  When  that  day  comes,  a  good  mode 
of  utilizing  them  is  to  write  them  on  cards,  have  the 
scholars  draw  them,  and  then  let  each  scholar  tell  what 
he  remembers  about  the  lesson  whose  golden  text  he 
holds.  If  you  intend  to  use  this  plan,  announce  it  at 
the  very  beginning  of  the  quarter,  and  urge  your  pupils, 
through  all  the  three  months,  to  work  for  the  success  of 
the  little  exercise. 

Unless  in  some  such  way  as  this  the  use  of  the  golden 
text  is  planned  for,  you  will  probably  not  use  it  at  all. 
But  include  it  in  your  lesson  scheme,  and  devise  unhack- 
neyed ways  of  introducing  it. 


54  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

In  the  David  and  Jonathan  lesson,  for  instance,  you 
have  brought  out  the  beautiful  story,  and  you  have  con- 
cluded by  showing  how  much  liner  even  the  noblest 
human  friendship  will  be  if  it  is  knit  together  by  Christ. 
Then  you  close  by  calling  for  the  golo/m  text :  "  There 
is  a  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother." 

Or,  the  lesson  is  Paul's  shipwreck,  and  you  begin  by 
asking  the  class  to  repeat  together  the  golden  text : 
"Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble,  and  he 
bringeth  them  out  of  their  distresses."  "Now  that  was 
written,"  you  will  say,  "a  thousand  years  before  the 
event  we  are  to  study  about  to-day,  but  you  will  see  how 
perfectly  it  describes  what  happened  to  Paul." 

Do  not  rest  satisfied  with  one  repetition  of  the  text, 
though,  in  concert.  Call  for  it  from  different  scholars, 
liefer  to  it  in  many  connections.  Go  back  to  it  again 
and  again.  Whenever  the  thought  is  in  your  judgment 
the  fundamental  thought  of  the  lesson,  build  up  your 
teaching  around  it. 

Home-Made  Cards. — One  way  to  draw  attention  to  the 
golden  text  is  to  assign  it  each  week  to  a  different 
scholar,  making  the  assignment  several  weeks  in  advance, 
and  having  each  text  printed  by  the  scholar  on  a  large 
card,  to  be  hung  before  the  class  during  the  recitation. 
These  cards  may  be  printed  in  colors.  It  may  even  be 
possible  to  get  the  scholars  to  decorate  them  with  draw- 
ings of  flowers  or  of  symbolic  designs,  or  with  pretty  bits 
of  color  or  more  appropriate  pictures  cut  from  periodicals 
and  pasted  on.  The  children  will  enjoy  doing  this  work, 
and  they  will  be  quite  as  deeply  interested  also  in  the 
efforts  of  the  others. 


IS   THE   GOLDEN   TEXT   WORTH   WHILE?  55 

This  may  be  considered  too  elaborate  a  plan,  but  cer- 
tainly the  scholars  may  be  persuaded  to  bring  to  the 
class — all  of  them — the  golden  text  written  by  them  on 
slips  of  paper.  The  teacher  will  examine  them,  and  give 
especial  praise  to  the  neatest  and  most  accurate. 

This  suggests  the  use  of  golden  text  cards  as  rewards 
for  attendance,  punctuality,  and  good  lessons.  If  the 
teacher  cannot  afford  to  buy  the  published  colored  cards, 
she  may  make  her  own,  and  put  into  them  a  personality 
that  the  published  cards,  admirable  as  they  are,  neces- 
sarily lack.  She  may  write  them  on  prettily  colored 
paper,  those  for  each  lesson  on  a  new  color.  She  may 
print  them  in  fancy  lettering.  She  may  adorn  them 
with  colored  designs,  and  with  painted  flowers.  Now 
and  then,  she  may  write  on  the  back  a  personal  mes- 
sage, sent  right  into  the  heart  life  of  some  particular 
scholar. 

To  many  of  these  plans,  a  golden-text  book  is  an  appro- 
priate sequel.  It  consists  of  these  cards,  or  slips  of 
paper,  or  whatever  you  use,  pasted  on  larger  leaves,  and 
finally  bound  together  in  neat  little  books.  At  the  end 
of  the  year  your  golden-text  books  should  be  placed  on 
exhibition,  for  all  the  school  to  enjoy,  and  imitate  next 
year. 

In  the  Open  Sessions.— And  finally,  how  may  we  use 
the  golden  text  in  the  open  sessions  of  the  school  ? 
Whatever  use  is  made  of  it  should  come  at  the  close  of 
the  lesson  hour,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  teachers' 
plans.  Some  superintendents  have  it  beautifully  printed 
upon  the  back  of  a  blackboard,  in  ornamental  lettering 
made  with  colored  chalk,     Any  class  whose  members 


56  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

came  to  school  able,  every  one  of  them,  to  write  out  the 
golden  text,  may  delegate  one  of  their  number  to  go  for- 
ward and  turn  this  blackboard,  exhibiting  the  design,  at 
the  same  time  repeating  the  text,  which  the  school  will 
immediately  repeat  in  concert.  Then  the  superintendent 
may  tell  a  brief  (a  very  brief)  story  illuminating  the 
golden  text,  or  he  may  have  the  school  sing  a  gyolden-text 
song,  some  hymn  chosen  because  it  treats  the  theme  of 
the  text. 

Perhaps  I  have  indicated  with  sufficient  fulness  some 
of  the  many  ways  in  which  the  golden  text  may  be  used 
to  add  variety  and  interest  to  our  Sabbath-school  lessons. 
As  you  begin  with  the  plans  I  have  outlined,  other  plans 
will  constantly  suggest  themselves.  By  the  end  of  the 
year,  through  these  wonderful  condensations  of  truth, 
you  will  have  fixed  fifty-two  miniatures  of  Bible  events 
and  lessons  upon  the  gallery  walls  of  your  scholars' 
minds.  Fifty-two  Bible  sentences,  each  freighted  with 
the  significance  of  a  Bible  incident  or  glorious  passage — 
surely  this,  if  anything  in  the  world,  is  worth  while. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  TEACHER'S   MANNER 

There  is  the  what — but  there  is  also  the  how.  Most 
teachers  think  of  what  they  are  to  teach,  but  few  think 
of  how  they  will  teach  it.  The  one  is  no  less  important 
than  the  other. 

Indeed,  teaching  has  this  in  common  with  all  the  other 
fine  arts,  that  manner  often  overranks  matter.  The 
painter's  choice  of  a  subject  is  less  important  than  the 
way  he  depicts  it,  so  that  men  would  rather  possess  a 
broken  pitcher  delineated  by  Raphael  than  a  "  Coliseum 
by  Moonlight"  after  the  manner  of  Sam  Spatterpaint. 
And  surely  when  the  theme  is  the  loftiest  of  all  possible 
themes,  as  it  is  in  our  Sunday-school  classes,  there  is 
double  urgency  to  present  it  in  a  manner  as  attractive 
and  as  noble. 

Children  are  Imitators. — Moreover,  let  those  teachers 
that  are  careless  regarding  their  style  of  teaching  con- 
sider how  certainly,  if  they  are  at  all  successful  in  win- 
ning their  scholars,  the  manners  which  they  exhibit  will 
be  reflected  in  those  scholars'  lives.  Children  are  true 
Chinese  in  their  certainty  of  imitation.  It  is  even  start- 
ling to  note,  in  the  scholars  of  a  popular  teacher,  the 
identical  gestures,  intonations,  phrases,  and  mannerisms 
used  by  their  unconscious  model.  Listening  the  other 
day  to  a  series  of  recitations  by  the  class  of  Mrs.  F.  E. 

57 


58  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

Clark,  that  magnetic  woman,  the  wife  of  the  founder  of 
Christian  Endeavor  societies,  I  could  shut  my  eyes  and 
scarcely  persuade  myself  that  it  was  not  she  herself  who 
was  speaking. 

Manners  are  the  middlemen  that  carry  the  products  of 
your  heart  and  brain  to  the  hungry  markets  of  your 
scholars'  lives.  The  old  saying  has  it,  "  Manners  makyth 
men  " ;  that  is,  a  man's  fortune  depends  on  his  manners. 
It  might  as  truthfully  be  said,  "Manners  makyth — other 
men."  The  teacher  that  is  careless  in  regard  to  his  man- 
ner of  teaching  is  like  a  farmer  shoveling  seed  into  the 
soil,  anyway,  anywhere,  and  to  any  depth,  provided  the 
seed  gets  in  and  gets  covered  up  ;  and  the  harvest  is  as 
scanty  in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other. 

Before  I  give  my  thought  of  what  the  teacher's  man- 
ner should  be,  let  me  say  what  it  should  not  be.  Five 
negatives. 

i.  It  Should  not  be  Flabby. — If  the  teacher  evidently 
does  "  not  care  whether  school  keeps  or  not,"  one  can 
hardly  expect  the  scholars  to  entertain  eager  opinions  on 
that  subject.  If  the  teacher  appears  bored,  the  class  may 
well  yawn.  No  matter  how  cleverly  tuned  your  violin, 
you  will  draw  no  harmony  from  the  instrument  with  a 
loose-screwed  bow. 

2.  It  Should  not  be  Apologetic.—"  I  haven't  had  time 
to  study  the  lesson,"  "  I'm  afraid  you  all  know  more 
about  the  lesson  than  I  do  to-day," — such  admissions  are 
weak,  unnecessary,  and  harmful.  Do  not  advertise  your 
delinquencies.  Teach  as  well  as  you  can,  and  apologize 
by  a  well-prepared  lesson  next  week. 

3.  It  Should  not  be  Fretted. — A  worried  countenance 


THE  TEACHER'S   MANNER  59 

and  anxious  manners  are  poor  arguments  for  Christianity 
and  poor  baits  for  your  scholars'  attention. 

4.  It  Should  not  be  Fussy. — Some  teachers  remind  me 
of  those  young  mothers  that  frantically  trot  their  babies 
up  and  down  to  still  their  cries,  adding  all  of  their  own 
nervousness  to  the  poor  infant's  abundant  supply.  Such 
teachers  fumble  their  books  and  lesson  leaves  incessantly, 
fly  from  this  scholar  to  that  with  snatches  of  restless  in- 
quiry, bustle  around  the  school-room  for  dashes  of  con- 
sultation with  officers  and  teachers,  and  miss  no  oppor- 
tunity to  create  confusion.  Their  classes  will  be  pande- 
moniums and  their  teaching  will  be  hodge-podge. 

5.  It  Should  not  be  Jack-in-the-Box-y. — Some  teachers 
mistake  jerkiness  for  energy,  and  explosiveness  for  point- 
edness.  They  fire  off  their  questions  like  rockets.  They 
dash  off  their  explanations  like  a  fire-engine  in  full  career. 
They  fling  out  their  fingers  in  excited  gestures.  This  is 
being  animated,  they  think ;  but  it  is  only  being  nervous. 

The  teacher's  manner  should  be  very  different  from  all 
this.  Perhaps  its  most  important  quality  is  confidence. 
Napoleon  won  his  battles  largely  because  he  was  so  sub- 
limely sure  that  he  would  win  them.  A  lion-tamer,  or  a 
child-tamer,  is  obeyed  because  he  expects  to  be  obeyed. 
If  you  can  put  into  your  pedagogic  bearing  the  quiet  as- 
surance of  coming  success,  that  success  is  half  yours  at 
the  outset. 

An  accompaniment  of  this  characteristic  is  frankness, 
openness.  A  good  teacher  always  looks  his  scholars 
straight  in  the  eye.  He  talks  in  a  cordial,  free  way,  as 
if  he  were  telling  all  his  heart.  He  does  not  stammer, 
shift,  falter,  or  act  like  an  embarrassed  school-boy.     He 


60  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

puts  his  class  at  their  ease  by  being  himself  at  his  ease. 
He  wins  their  confidences  by  giving  his  own.  He  is  not 
over-familiar,  but  he  is  a  comrade.  He  is  not  trivial,  but 
he  is  cheery.     He  is  not  a  teacher  ;  he  is  a  friend. 

And  lastly, — for  the  chief  excellencies  of  a  teacher's 
manner  are  three, — he  will  observe  the  often-heard  in- 
junction, and  "look  alive."  Too  many  teachers  look 
dead.  The  level  tones  of  their  drowsy  voices  proceed 
from  bodies  almost  as  immobile  as  statues.  The  true 
teacher  will  "  look  alive  "  as  to  his  hands,  with  an  occa- 
sional irresistible  gesture.  He  will  "  look  alive  "  as  to 
his  face,  for  face  gestures  are  the  most  expressive  of  all. 
Chiefly,  he  will  "  look  alive  "  as  to  his  eyes,  which  will 
kiudle  with  enthusiasm,  melt  with  tenderness,  and  sparkle 
with  fun.  Life  springs  only  from  life,  and  lively  looks 
are  both  the  evidence  of  life  in  the  speaker  and  the  pro- 
vocative of  life  in  the  listener. 

How  to  Get  the  Right  Manner.— Finally,  having  thus 
sketched  my  thought  of  the  teacher's  manner,  as  it  should 
not  be  and  as  it  should,  let  me  suggest  how  the  best  man- 
ner of  teaching  may  be  obtained. 

In  the  first  place,  "  know  yourself.''  I  would  not  have 
you  become  self-conscious  ;  but  manners  are  to  be  judged 
by  results,  and  if  you  are  not  getting  the  results  of  the 
best  manner,  it  is  necessary  to  see  whether  you  do  not 
lack  the  manner  itself.  For  instance,  if  your  class  is 
stupid,  consider  whether  you  are  brisk.  If  the  class  is 
restless,  you  may  be  nervous.  If  the  class  is  careless,  you 
may  not  appear  sufficiently  in  earnest.  Manners  are  the 
flowers  of  certain  seeds.  If  you  lack  the  flowers,  plant 
the   seeds.     If,  on   the   other  hand,  you  are  obtaining 


61 

already  the  results  of  a  good  manner,  take  no  more 
thought  about  it. 

If  I  were  a  proverb-monger,  I  might  say,  "  Every  man 
his  own  manners,"  so  essential  is  it  that  manners  should 
spring  from  the  real  character  of  a  man.  "  I  must  be 
myself,"  is  generally  the  answer  when  defects  of  manner 
are  pointed  out;  to  which  the  proper  reply  is,  "  Yes;  but 
you  can  change  yourself." 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  get  a  good  manner  is  to  bor- 
row it  from  others.  Such  appropriation  impoverishes 
nobody.  Visit  the  classes  of  successful  teachers.  Watch 
those  whom  the  children  love.  See  what  there  is  in  their 
characters  that  is  lacking  from  yours.  Then  try  to  re- 
produce it,  within  and  without. 

One  Point  of  Manners  at  a  Time. — If  you  conclude  that 
you  are  not  vivacious  enough,  work  for  months  at  that 
fault,  until  it  is  remedied.  Growth  is  easy,  where  revo- 
lution may  be  impossible. 

No  one  can  teach  in  the  best  way  without  good  health. 
A  sound  body  goes  far  toward  good  cheer,  and  good 
cheer  goes  far  toward  mental  alertness  and  sanity.  I 
am  quite  sure,  for  example,  that  the  efficiency  of  our 
Sunday  schools  would  be  vastly  increased  if  all  the 
teachers  would  take  a  brisk  walk  before  entering  on  their 
duties. 

As  to  that  confidence  and  zest  in  the  work  which  is  so 
necessary  for  success,  it  rests  at  bottom  on  thorough 
knowledge  and  full  preparation.  If  you  have  a  first-rate 
plan  for  the  lesson,  you  will  be  eager  to  present  it,  and 
you  will  go  before  the  class  a  master  of  the  situation. 
Enjoy  your  work,  and  you  will  look  as  if  you  enjoyed  it. 


1TY 


62  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

Be  interested  in  the  class,  and  your  eyes  cannot  lack  lus- 
tre. Know  the  importance  of  your  task,  and  your  voice 
cannot  lack  earnestness.  Pray  before  you  teach  and  as 
you  teach,  and  you  cannot  teach  flippantly  or  heedlessly. 
Fear  God,  and  you  will  not  fear  your  class,  or  be  embar- 
rassed before  them.  Become  the  kind  of  teacher  you 
wish  to  appear,  and  your  manner  outside  the  class  will 
not  belie  your  manner  before  your  scholars.  In  short, 
the  only  secret  of  manners  is  being ;  and  if  you  get  a  soul 
that  is  on  fire  for  truth,  if  you  become  a  lover  of  God 
and  of  all  God's  children,  if  you  fashion  as  a  receptacle 
for  that  love  of  truth,  of  man,  and  of  God,  the  beautiful 
casket  of  a  well-trained  mind  in  a  vigorous  body, — if  you 
do  these  things,  your  teaching  will  of  necessity  become 
ardent,  courageous,  and  winsome,  and  many  will  be  the 
jewels  of  your  crown. 


CHAPTEE  IX 

A   GOOD   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PATCH 

The  absence  of  a  regular  Sunday-school  teacher  makes 
a  sad  rent,  there  is  no  doubt  about  it.  However  excel- 
lent a  substitute  teacher  may  be,  he  is  only  a  patch.  It 
isn't  pleasant  to  be  patched,  nor  is  it  pleasant  to  be  a 
patch ;  but  it  can't  be  helped,  and  this  chapter  is  to  make 
the  best  of  it. 

A  Corps  of  Substitutes.— Of  course,  if  yours  is  a  model 
Sunday  school,  you  hare  business-like  arrangements  for 
this  emergency.  Your  superintendent  has  enrolled  a 
regular  corps  of  possible  substitutes,  men  and  women 
who  have  agreed  always  to  be  ready  to  fill  vacancies. 
The  assistant  superintendents  have  lists  of  these.  The 
Sunday-school  committee  of  the  young  people's  society 
sometimes  has  the  whole  matter  in  charge.  Sometimes 
this  committee  organizes  a  special  class,  whose  members 
study  each  Sunday  the  lesson  of  the  next  week,  in  order 
to  be  ready  for  the  substitute's  post.  The  teachers 
should  be  taught  that  it  is  their  duty  to  notify  the  proper 
official  of  their  expected  absence.  All  of  these  provi- 
sions will  be  made  in  a  model  Sunday  school. 

But,  alas !  few  Sunday  schools  are  models  ;  and  even 
in  the  model  schools,  the  best  laid  plans  find  themselves 
often  defeated.  Usually  the  substitute  teacher  is  pressed 
into  the  service,  not  as  part  of  a  well-thought-out  system, 

63 


64:  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

but  at  desperate  haphazard  ;  and  the  question  is,  what 
shall  he  do  ?     I  will  try  to  answer  that  question. 

In  the  first  place,  be  jolly  about  it.  I  would  enlarge 
the  proverb :  Bis  dat  qui  cito  dat — et  suaviter.  You 
may  be  certain  that  the  absent  teacher  has  no  good  ex- 
cuse for  absence,  or  that  warning  could  have  been  given 
in  time  for  ample  preparation  on  the  substitute's  part,  or 
that  classes  might  just  as  well  be  put  together  (though 
you  acknowledge  that  this  process  generally  spoils  both 
classes);  and  you  may  consider  yourself  a  much-abused 
mortal  in  being  asked  to  teach  that  class.  But  postpone 
such  considerations.  The  superintendent  probably  isn't 
to  blame,  and  certainly  the  waiting  children  are  not.  Is 
it  your  duty  to  teach  that  class  ?  If  so,  it  is  your  duty 
to  accept  the  duty  pleasantly,  and  remedy  the  faulty 
conditions,  if  you  can,  afterward. 

Let  us  suppose  that  your  conscience  is  in  good  working 
order,  and  that  you  consent  to  be  a  Sunday-school  patch. 
At  once  several  essentials  of  a  good  patch  present  them- 
selves for  your  imitation. 

Imprimis,  a  Good  Patch  is  Never  Conspicuous. — Mod- 
est}r  is  the  first  grace  of  a  substitute  teacher.  Indeed, 
the  very  word,  "substitute,"  conveys  a  hint  toward  hu- 
mility, since  it  comes  from  two  Latin  words  signifying 
to  "stand  under,"  to  be  subordinate.  The  substitute 
teacher  must  not  be  a  red  patch  on  a  gray  garment.  His 
teaching  must  merge  into  the  teaching  that  has  gone  be- 
fore and  is  to  follow  after — that  is,  it  must  do  this  as 
nearly  as  a  different  personality,  working  hastily  and  in 
the  dark,  can  do  it.  Not  wholly  in  the  dark,  however. 
You  know  the  characteristics  of  the  teacher  whose  place 


A   GOOD  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PATCH  65 

you  are  taking.  Probably  you  know  his  methods.  You 
can  ask  the  class  at  the  outset  whether  any  plan  had  been 
set  for  the  lesson.  So  far  as  you  can,  you  will  fit  in  • 
will  make  a  chameleon  of  yourself,  and  adapt  your  color 
to  your  temporary  abode. 

Then,  in  the  second  place,  to  return  to  our  comparison, 
a  patch  must  not  draw.  That  was  the  point  of  the 
Saviour's  parable  about  unshrunken  cloth  in  an  old  gar- 
ment. You  must  not  make  it  harder  for  the  regular 
worker,  but  easier.  You  must  not  criticise  him,  even  by 
the  vaguest  implication.  Children  are  quick  to  see  dis- 
paragement. If  he  is  a  dull  teacher  and  you  are  a  bril- 
liant one,  it  would  be  Christlike  (is  it  too  much  to  ask 
from  human  nature  ?)  if  you  would  moderate  your  bril- 
liancy for  the  occasion.  And  if  you  can  drop  a  word  of 
hearty  praise  for  the  absent  teacher,  it  will  wonderfully 
smooth  his  pathway  when  he  comes  back. 

For  a  final  point  of  comparison,  a  good  patch  must  not 
be  careless.  No  basting-stitches.  No  rough  edges.  No 
evidences  of  haste.  Do  you  remember  Grizers  works  of 
art?  (I  hope  you  have  read  Barrie !)  Take  her  marvel- 
ous patching  as  your  Sunday-school  model. 

Really,  there  is  no  reason  why  a  Christian,  fairly  well 
equipped  with  Bible  knowledge,  should  go  before  a  class 
of  boys  and  girls  with  shamefaced  apologies,  and  with 
that  trite  phrase,  "  You  must  teach  me  to-day,  chil- 
dren," which  means  a  discount  of  fifty  per  cent,  in  the 
children's  estimation.  If  you  must  be  a  patch,  be  a  silk 
one  ;  not  even  a  patch  need  lack  distinction. 

You  know  you  are  likely  to  be  summoned  as  a  substi- 
tute teacher.     You  have  already  held  that  honorable  post 


66  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

perhaps  a  dozen  times.  Why  not  plan  for  it  ?  This  may 
be  your  only  chance  at  influencing  those  immortal  souls. 
It  is  worth  more  thought  than  you  can  give  it  during 
your  walk  from  your  chair  to  theirs.  Your  only  wise 
course  is  to  be  ready  with  a  few  general  schemes,  which 
will  lit  any  lesson  ;  then  you  will  have  nothing  to  do  but 
carry  out  one  of  them. 

Here  are  a  few  devices  that  will  be  found  useful. 

1.  Get  the  class  to  read  the  lesson  text,  verse  about ; 
but  before  the  reading  ask  one  member  of  the  class  to 
watch  for  references  to  persons,  another  to  pick  out  allu- 
sions to  places,  a  third  to  make  a  mental  list  of  events,  a 
fourth  to  decide  what  is  the  principal  teaching  of  the 
lesson,  a  fifth  to  do  the  same,  a  sixth  to  select  the  verse 
best  worth  committing  to  memory.  Then  go  over  these 
points,  one  at  a  time,  using  for  your  chief  reference  in  each 
case  the  scholar  to  whom  that  topic  has  been  assigned, 
but  bringing  in  the  rest  of  the  class  with  a  free  conver- 
sation.    Finally,  review,  changing  the  assignments  about. 

2.  Tear  up  a  sheet  of  paper,  making  slips,  on  each  of 
which  you  will  write  the  number  of  one  of  the  verses  of 
the  lesson.  Have  the  class  read  the  lesson  text,  and  then 
let  the  scholars  draw  these  slips  at  random.  Each  scholar 
is  to  be  questioned  on  the  verse  whose  number  he  draws, 
and  the  rest  of  the  scholars  are  warned  to  listen  care- 
fully, because,  as  they  are  told,  after  the  lesson  is  once 
discussed  in  this  way,  the  slips  are  to  be  mixed  up  and 
drawn  again,  and  the  same  questions  are  to  be  asked 
once  more,  a  record  being  kept  this  time  of  the  number 
of  questions  each  scholar  answers  correctly  and  the  num- 
ber he  misses. 


A   GOOD   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PATCH  67 

3.  Read  the  lesson  text,  verse  about.  Then  the  class 
will  question  the  teacher,  each  scholar  asking  questions 
on  only  one  verse.  After  all  the  verses  are  discussed, 
the  teacher  takes  his  turn,  and  returns  over  the  same 
ground,  catechizing  the  scholars. 

The  substitute  teacher  may  safely  launch  out  on  any 
of  these  plans,  only  seeing  to  it  that  he  does  not  use 
the  same  plan  with  the  same  class  on  two  successive 
occasions. 

After  his  half-hour  task  is  done,  and  the  substitute 
teacher  has  substituted  to  the  best  of  his  extemporaneous 
ability,  he  may  complete  the  graciousness  of  his  patch 
by  going  to  the  regular  teacher,  reporting  the  way  he 
taught  the  class  and  the  points  he  tried  to  bring  out, 
telling  what  forward  glance,  if  any,  they  have  cast  over 
the  coming  lesson,  and  especially  giving  the  teacher  a 
word  of  cheer  for  himself  and  a  little  compliment  for 
him  to  pass  on  to  the  class.  That  bit  of  conversation 
will  be  the  fastening  of  the  thread  which  will  keep  the 
patch  from  ripping  out,  and  accredit  you  as  a  workman 
that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed. 


CHAPTER  X 

WHAT   TO   DO    WHEN   THE   ATTENDANCE   WANES 

Perhaps  there  never  has  been  much  of  an  attendance 
to  wane.  In  that  ease,  what  I  shall  prescribe  for  a 
waning  attendance  will  lit  just  as  well.  But  more  often 
it  is  necessary  to  propose  remedies  for  a  falling  off  in 
Sunday-school  interest,  both  of  teachers  and  scholars, 
with  the  resultant  dropping  down  of  attendance,  while 
the  blues  and  the  dismals  settle  upon  offieers  and  classes. 
Fortunate  indeed  is  the  school  that  knows  nothing  of 
sueh  times.     What  is  to  be  done  in  those  emergencies? 

Well,  in  the  first  place,  there  may  not  be  much  reason 
for  discouragement.  Know  your  field.  You  may  be  fill- 
ing it  better  than  you  think.  Families  may  have  moved 
away.  The  boys  and  girls  may  have  gone  off  to  school 
or  to  business  elsewhere.  Young  married  couples  may 
be  kept  home  by  little  children.  The  establishment  of 
new  churches  and  Sunday  schools  may  have  provided  for 
part  of  your  old  constituency.  Those  who  are  not 
"  present  "  may  be  u  accounted  for,"  and  satisfactorily. 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  your  old  scholars  have  left 
the  school  and  are  still  in  town,  able  to  attend  school  but 
attending  none,  and  if  besides  there  are  in  town  many 
ehildren  and  adults  whom  your  Sunday  school  ought 
to  reach  and  does  not,  then  there  is  cause  for  alarm,  for 
prompt  investigation,  and  for  the  adoption  of  thorough 
remedies. 

68 


WHAT  TO  DO  WHEN  THE  ATTENDANCE  WANES  69 

Never  Scold  About  the  Attendance. — The  people  you 
will  have  a  chance  to  scold  are  almost  certainly  not  the 
people  that  are  to  blame.  Even  if  they  were,  scolding 
does  no  good.  There  is  a  reason  for  the  poor  attendance. 
Discover  it,  frankly  acknowledge  it,  and  set  to  work 
manfully  upon  the  cure  of  it. 

This  Reason  May  be  Poor  Teaching. — The  teachers 
may  not  know  enough  about  the  Bible  to  make  attend- 
ance worth  while,  or  they  may  not  tell  what  they  know 
brightly  enough  to  make  the  school  attractive. 

The  sovereign  remedy  for  this  trouble  is  a  teachers' 
meeting.  You  doubtless  have  tried  it  in  your  school ;  all 
schools  do  try  it ;  but  the  leader  was  a  poor  one,  or  the 
good  leader  got  tired  or  moved  away,  and  the  teachers' 
meeting  died  or  is  dying.  Resurrect  it.  You  can. 
Obtain  the  best  available  leader.  Contrary  to  the  com- 
mon impression,  executive  ability  is  more  necessary  here 
than  teaching  ability.  Your  best  leader  for  a  teachers' 
meeting  is  some  one  that  can  set  others  to  work,  and 
draw  out  the  thoughts  and  plans  of  all  for  the  benefit  of 
all.  Introduce  outside  aid  in  the  way  of  occasional 
lectures  before  the  teachers  by  specialists.  Assign  defi- 
nite parts  in  the  teachers'  meeting  to  as  many  teachers 
as  possible.  Never  spend  more  than  half  the  time  of  the 
meeting  upon  the  thing  to  be  taught,  and  devote  the  rest 
of  the  time  to  discussing  the  best  ways  of  teaching  it. 
A  good  teachers'  meeting  is  feasible  everywhere,  and 
a  good  teachers'  meeting  means  full  classes  almost  every 
time. 

The  cause  of  the  poor  attendance  may  be  a  dull-looking 
school-room,  that  gives  every  one  that  enters  it  the  blue 


70  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

shivers.  The  remedy,  of  course,  is  to  brighten  up  the 
room.  Paint  is  cheap,  wall  paper  is  cheaper,  pictures  are 
cheaper  still,  and  flowers  are  cheapest  of  all. 

Perhaps  your  opening  exercises  are  listless,  monoto- 
nous, drawling,  and  stupid.  That  cannot  help  affecting 
the  attendance  unfavorably,  because  its  depressing  in- 
fluence extends  over  the  whole  Sunday-school  hour.  The 
obvious  remedy  is  to  put  variety  and  sparkle  into  this 
beginning  of  the  school,  with  special  music,  an  orchestra, 
an  occasional  recitation,  much  singing,  Bible-readings 
diversified  continually,  a  picture  shown  now  and  then,  or 
some  object  from  Bible  lands.  Plan  the  opening.  Plan 
different  openings.  Let  the  openings  move  swiftly,  with 
no  harangues,  but  with  much  for  all  to  do.  This  change 
alone  will  add  to  the  interest  of  the  school  more  than  you 
imagine. 

Perhaps  your  attendance  is  waning  because  the  scholars 
themselves  are  not  interested  in  filling  the  school  and 
keeping  it  full.  "  The  best  advertisement,"  any  business 
man  will  tell  you,  "  is  personal  mention."  If  Mrs.  Sat- 
terleeand  Mrs.  Sapperton  and  Mrs.  Schermerhorn  will  tell 
their  next-door  neighbors  how  very  cheap  and  good  are 
Wilkins  &  Wallace's  towels,  that  enterprising  firm  may 
safely  dispense  with  expensive  newspaper  announce- 
ments. There  is  no  better  way  to  promote  the  growth 
of  your  Sunday  school  than  to  set  Charlie  Faunce  and 
Flossy  Ool^rove  to  telling  Tom  Lemons  and  Susie  Bald- 
win  what  perfectly  splendid  times  they  have  there. 

There  are  several  good  ways  of  interesting  the  schol- 
ars in  the  work  of  bringing  in  new  members.  One 
method  is  to  divide  the  scholars  into  companies  of  live, 


WHAT  TO  DO  WHEN  THE  ATTENDANCE  WANES  71 

each  five  being  made  up  from  one  class  so  far  as  possi- 
ble; then  let  the  fives  see  how  soon  they  can  increase 
themselves  to  tens,  by  adding  new  scholars  to  their  own 
class  or  any  other.  Announce  the  fact  from  Sunday  to 
Sunday  as  each  ten  is  completed. 

Another  method  is  to  start  a  contest,  seeing  which 
class,  in  proportion  to  its  initial  numbers,  can,  within  a 
given  time,  increase  its  size  the  most.  Prizes  may  add 
to  the  interest  of  the  contest,  if  it  is  thought  wise,  and 
some  schools  are  in  the  habit  of  presenting  a  reward  to 
each  scholar  who  brings  another  to  the  school,  the  re- 
ward being  given  after  the  new  scholar  has  attended  a 
certain  number  of  weeks. 

The  young  people's  society  may  be  enlisted  in  this 
work.  Most  of  these  societies  have  Sunday-school  com- 
mittees, formed  for  the  express  purpose  of  aiding  the 
school  in  every  way ;  and  of  course  the  promotion  of 
good  attendance  is  one  of  their  chief  aims.  In  many 
localities  the  young  people's  societies  have  carried  on  a 
systematic,  house-to-house  canvass  of  the  town  for  new 
scholars ;  and  if  they  do  not  do  it,  the  school  officers 
could  easily  organize  such  a  canvass  on  their  own  account. 
"Where  the  young  people  do  this  work,  some  of  the  older 
members  of  the  school  should  be  deputed  to  oversee  it, 
that  their  experienced  wisdom  may  guide  the  young 
folks'  energy  and  zeal. 

A  permanent  plan  for  recruiting  should  be  part  of  the 
machinery  of  the  school.  I  know  of  nothing  better  than 
to  appoint  in  each  class  a  membership  committee,  with  a 
chairman,  who  makes  weekly  reports  to  the  class.  It 
would  be  best  to  have  the  class  itself  elect  this  committee 


72  SUNDAY-SCUOOL   PROBLEMS 

once  a  year.  "  Does  any  scholar  know  of  any  one  who 
should  be  a  member  of  this  class?"  This  question 
should  be  asked  every  Sunday  by  every  teacher.  It  is  a 
great  mistake  to  throw  upon  the  teacher  the  responsi- 
bility for  maintaining  the  attendance  and  increasing  it. 
Talk  about  the  interest  and  value  of  the  class  will  come 
with  far  more  grace  from  the  scholars  than  from  the 
teacher,  and  will  be  far  more  effective. 

A  similar  committee  may  be  appointed,  once  a  year  or 
once  a  quarter,  from  the  entire  school.  It  might  be 
called  a  " scout  committee,"  or  an  "  invitation  commit- 
tee," and  its  duty  should  be  to  watch  the  Sunday  con- 
gregations and  invite  all  the  strangers  to  come  to  the 
school ;  offering  to  accompany  them,  if  the  school  is  held 
after  the  morning  service. 

The  Pulpit  Announcement. — The  work  of  such  a  com- 
mittee will  be  strongly  aided  by  a  hearty,  attractive  an- 
nouncement of  the  Sunday  school  from  the  pulpit, — not 
one  of  these  perfunctory  notices:  "Sunday  school  at 
the  conclusion  of  this  service,  and  all  are  cordially  in- 
vited to  attend,"  but  a  few  sentences  into  which  some 
original  emotion  is  evidently  put,  such  as  this  announce- 
ment: "  You  don't  know  what  you  are  missing  if  you 
are  not  attending  our  Sunday  school.  Last  Sunday,  for 
instance,  I  dropped  into  Professor  Thomas's  class,  and  I 
heard  the  most  illuminating  discussion  of  the  parable  of 
the  talents  I  have  ever  listened  to.  Just  step  into  the 
vestry  at  the  end  of  this  service,  and  try  it  for  an  hour." 

There  are  many  other  methods  by  which  the  pastor 
may  promote  Sunday-school  attendance.  One  of  the 
best  of  these  is  by  taking  the  Sunday-school  topic  now 


WHAT  TO  DO  WHEN  THE  ATTENDANCE  WANES  73 

and  then  for  the  theme  of  his  sermon — not  the  whole 
lesson,  so  that  he  will  exhaust  it,  but  one  small  corner  of 
it,  with  references  to  the  larger  subject  which  is  to  be 
treated  fully  in  the  Sunday-school  classes.  It  is  often 
very  helpful  also  to  hold  a  series  of  prayer  meetings, 
whose  topics  are  those  of  the  following  Sunday-school 
lessons. 

Home  Department  Help.— A  first-class  ally  of  the 
school  in  this  matter  of  attendance  is  the  home  depart- 
ment. No  Sunday  school  should  try  to  get  along  with- 
out such  a  department,  and  this  is  only  one  of  its  ad- 
vantages. A  well  organized  home  department,  with  its 
score  or  more  of  zealous  visitors,  watching  for  every  op- 
portunity to  transform  the  home  student  into  the  regular 
attendant  on  the  classes,  will  bring  dozens  of  new  schol- 
ars into  the  school  every  year,  and  bring  them  in  under 
the  best  auguries  for  their  permanent  stay. 

A  Matter  of  Age. — A  step  quite  necessary  to  take,  if 
you  would  build  up  the  membership  of  your  school,  is  to 
consider  what  ages  are  not  well  represented  there,  and 
so  plan  your  campaign  with  special  reference  to  the  lacks 
you  may  discover.  Is  it  adults  you  chiefly  need  ?  Are 
you  weak  in  the  matter  of  young  married  people  ?  Is 
there  a  falling  off  among  the  boys  when  they  get  to 
their  middle  teens?  One  of  these  deficiencies  is  quite 
sure  to  bo  discovered ;  very  likely  all  of  them,  with 
others. 

The  best  remedy  is  to  set  to  work  those  of  the  par- 
ticular age  or  ages  whom  you  already  have  in  the  school. 
Get  the  boys  to  bring  in  the  boys,  the  young  couples  to 
seek  out  other  young  couples,  set  the  primary  depart- 


74  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

ment  and  the  adult  department  to  enlarging  themselves. 
There  is  no  leader  for  a  boy  of  twelve  quite  equal  to  an- 
other boy  of  twelve. 

Social  Classes. — After  you  have  studied  into  the  mat- 
ter of  ages,  continue  the  process  a  little  and  see  what 
social  classes  are  represented  in  your  school  and  what  are 
not.  Iiow  about  the  servant  girls?  Are  tho  business 
men  there,  the  merchants  and  their  clerks?  Are  the 
students  conspicuous  by  their  absence?  Yours  is  a  rail- 
road town  ;  what  is  your  Sunday  school  doing  for  the 
railroad  men  ? 

For  many  of  these,  perhaps  for  all  of  them,  your  only 
chance  of  interesting  them  in  the  school  is  by  the  estab- 
lishing of  special  classes,  led  by  teachers  peculiarly 
adapted  to  the  constituency  you  are  seeking  to  reach. 
A  wide-awake  Christian  manufacturer  may  be  persuaded 
to  organize  in  the  school  a  class  for  business  men,  young 
and  old.  Some  college  professor  may  gather  around  him 
the  young  collegians  and  the  school  teachers.  Some 
wise  and  loving  woman  may  draw  together  a  class  of 
servant  girls. 

The  necessities  of  the  case  will  sometimes  require  these 
special  classes  to  be  held  at  other  times  than  the  regular 
Sunday-school  hour.  Servant  girls'  classes,  for  example, 
are  generally  held  in  the  afternoon.  A  railroad  men's 
class  must  be  held  whenever  the  most  of  the  men  are  at 
leisure.  You  must  enlarge  your  idea  of  the  Bible  school 
until  it  becomes  a  sort  of  Bible  university. 

Many  a  Sunday  school  has  been  greatly  enlarged  and 
its  interest  magnificently  quickened  by  a  means  that 
seems  at  first  rather  to  rival  the  school  than  to  aid  it, — 


WHAT  TO   DO    WHEN   THE    ATTENDANCE   WANES   75 

an  outside  Bible-study  class,  taking  up  a  course  alto- 
gether independent  of  the  International  Lessons.  If  you 
can  find  an  inspiring  teacher  to  give  such  a  course, — 
everything  depends  upon  the  teacher, — and  if  you  can 
bring  together  in  the  class  your  teachers,  the  older  schol- 
ars, and  those  of  the  congregation  that  should  be  in  the 
Sunday  school  but  are  not,  it  will  be  an  easy  thing,  after 
the  course  is  completed,  to  divert  to  the  school  the  fresh 
interest  that  will  certainly  be  aroused.  The  result  will 
be  a  large  ingathering  of  new  scholars. 

A  course  of  lectures  on  Biblical  topics — again  if  the 
lecturer  is  an  inspiring  one — will  prove  almost  as  useful 
as  the  large  Bible-study  class  in  promoting  zeal  for  the 
Sunday  school.  Useful,  also,  is  any  pleasant  entertain- 
ment under  Sunday-school  auspices — a  concert,  a  stere- 
opticon  lecture,  a  picnic,  a  novel  form  of  sociable. 
Draw  people  together  and  set  them  to  talking  under  the 
leadership  of  the  school,  and  they  will  inevitably  talk 
more  or  less  about  the  school,  and  be  drawn  to  it  more  or 


Any  special  feature  you  can  introduce  into  the  school 
routine  will  serve  as  additional  basis  for  that  advertise- 
ment which  is  quite  as  necessary  for  the  King's  business 
as  for  secular  commerce.  Now  it  will  be  some  unusually 
good  music.  Now  it  will  be  a  set  of  bright  chalk  talks. 
Now  it  will  be  a  newly  installed  stereopticon  (for  these 
instruments  may  be  made  quite  as  serviceable  by  day- 
light as  by  night,  and  the  use  of  them  adds  wonderfully 
to  the  interest).  Now  it  will  be  some  object  lesson  in- 
troductory to  the  theme  of  the  hour.  Now  it  will  be  a 
series  of  five  minute  drills  on  Bible  geography  or  Bible 


7G  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

history,  briskly  conducted  with  maps  and  charts.  Any 
plan  of  this  sort,  carried  on  with  zest,  will  show  enter- 
prise, and  demonstrate  that  the  school  is  a  live  institu- 
tion, worth  the  attendance  of  live  people. 

In  country  districts,  and  sometimes  even  in  cities, 
a  Sunday-school  omnibus  is  quite  essential  if  you  would 
maintain  attendance  at  the  highest  point.  I  say  an  om- 
nibus, but  of  course  I  mean  any  roomy  vehicle,  which 
will  gather  up  all,  both  old  and  young,  who  could  not 
otherwise  get  to  the  school.  The  especial  advantage  of 
this  is  manifest,  of  course,  on  stormy  days. 

It  is  for  these  stormy  days  that  we  need  to  plan  most 
carefully,  since  the  habit  of  going  to  Sunday  school  is  so 
easily  broken  ;  even  a  single  lapse  may  break  it.  Strive 
in  every  way  to  impress  upon  the  teachers  the  especial 
need  of  their  presence  on  such  days.  Some  preachers 
make  it  a  point  to  preach  their  best  sermons  on  rainy 
Sundays.  In  the  same  wise  fashion,  devise  all  the 
pleasant  plans  you  can  for  stormy  Sabbaths, — some  jolly 
surprise,  which  the  scholars  that  are  there  will  talk  about 
with  their  mates,  and  say  :  " Don't  you  wish  you  hadn't 
stayed  at  home  for  the  rain  ?" 

Though,  as  I  have  said,  "  the  best  advertisement  is 
personal  mention,"  yet  the  Sunday  school  ma}r  well  take 
a  leaf  from  the  tradesmen's  book,  and  make  a  liberal 
use  of  printer's  ink.  Set  at  the  task  the  most  skilful 
writer  in  the  school,  some  one  with  a  genius  for  attract- 
ive ways  of  putting  things,  some  one  who  knows  also 
how  to  display  his  thoughts  in  a  neat  and  taking  arrange- 
ment of  type.  A  few  dollars  every  quarter  spent  for 
advertising  circulars  would  be  quite  as  well  spent  as  for 


WHAT  TO  DO  WHEN  THE  ATTENDANCE  WANES  77 

missions ;  indeed,  it  would  mean  many  more  dollars  for 
missions  in  the  end. 

In  addition,  try  personally  written  postal  cards  and 
letters  of  invitation.  Systematize  the  work.  Almost 
any  member  of  the  school  will  be  willing  to  write  one 
such  letter  a  month.  As  you  obtain  the  names  of  those 
that  should  be  in  the  school,  distribute  them  around,  and 
make  sure  that  each  receives  the  stimulating  written  in- 
vitation. By  the  time  a  person  gets  the  invitation 
in  all  these  ways, — by  word  of  mouth,  by  circular, 
by  pulpit  notice,  and  by  letter, — he  will  begin  to  think 
seriously  of  accepting  it,  in  self-defence  ! 

Much  depends  upon  how  the  attendance  is  reported 
to  the  school  each  Sunday.  Individual  attendance  rec- 
ords will  be  kept,  of  course,  by  the  secretary  of  each 
class,  and  full  recognition  should  be  given  to  individuals 
who  are  faithful  as  well  as  to  classes.  Once  a  quarter  is 
none  too  often  for  the  school  secretary  to  read  the  names 
of  all  who  have  been  present  every  Sabbath. 

In  making  the  weekly  report,  let  the  secretary  study 
variety,  and  seek  in  every  way  to  draw  attention  to  his 
figures  and  their  meaning.  Sometimes— perhaps  al- 
ways—the record  should  be  a  graphic  one.  Place  a 
large  placard  before  the  school  at  the  end  of  the  session, 
reading,  in  bold  characters  easily  deciphered  across  the 

room  :     "  Attendance  :  last  Sunday, ;  this  Sunday, 

."     Arrange  it  so  that  you  can  readily  slip  in  the 

proper  digits. 

Often,  however,  the  emphasis  of  the  voice  must  be 
added.  This  may  be  merely  by  way  of  a  cheery  com- 
ment, such  as  :     "  See  how  we  are  growing !     We'll  soon 


78  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

have  to  move  outdoors  to  get  room  enough ! "  or 
"  Twenty  more  than  last  Sunday  !  That  means  that 
about  twenty  of  you  told  your  friends  what  a  good  time 
we  have  here,  and  got  them  to  come  with  you."  If  the 
attendance  is  less  than  last  Sunday,  let  the  superintend- 
ent and  secretary  stand  up  and  point  to  the  placard,  and 
simultaneously  say  just  "Oh!"  If  you  are  seeking  to 
develop  some  particular  department,  the  secretary  should 
give  a  vocal  report  concerning  it  every  Sabbath,  such  as  : 
"Our  adult  department  is  coming  up;  thirty-five  this 
Sunday  ;  that's  a  gain  of  ten  in  two  weeks." 

And  now,  after  these  suggestions  for  the  increase  of 
the  attendance,  I  want  to  set  off  against  them  a  needed 
warning.  It  is  very  easy  to  exalt  Attendance  upon  the 
throne  where  the  Bible  alone  should  rest  in  your  Sunday 
school,  and  that  is  a  fatal  error.  To  be  sure,  there  is  no 
use  in  wise  teaching  unless  you  have  scholars  to  teach  ; 
but  also,  there  is  no  use  in  having  a  room  full  of  scholars 
unless  you  have  wise  teaching.  Where  the  Bible  is 
made  vital  in  human  lives,  very  slight  effort  will  draw 
the  crowds  to  it;  where  the  fundamental  purpose  of  the 
Sunday  school  is  forgotten  or  relegated  to  the  back- 
ground, no  amount  of  modern  advertising  will  hold  the 
crowds  that  the  advertising  will  gather.  "  And  I,  if  I 
be  lifted  up,"  still  declares  our  Saviour,  "will  draw  all 
men  unto  myself." 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   BOY    OUTSIDE  THE   SCHOOL 

Doubtless  for  every  girl  whom  a  teacher  is  perplexed 
to  win,  there  are  a  dozen  boys.  Therefore  I  will  write 
about  "  the  boy  "  rather  than  "  the  girl "  in  his  out-of- 
school  relations,  though  all  that  I  shall  say  will  be  quite 
as  applicable  to  the  girl  as  to  her  brother. 

I  am  convinced  that  the  place  to  win  the  boy  is  out- 
side the  Sunday  school.  Most  teachers  seem  to  look 
upon  their  work  as  precisely  analogous  to  fishing,  the 
school-room  being  the  pool  to  which  the  boy-trout  re- 
sorts, and  there  alone  they  may  cast  their  flies  with  any 
prospect  of  success.  Teaching  is  more  like  hunting. 
You  must  go  forth  adventurously  and  range  the  wood- 
land. You  must  seek  your  game  in  their  native  lairs. 
Their  haunts  are  many,  and  wide  apart.  You  cannot 
sit  still  and  bid  them  come  to  you ;  and  if  you  corral 
them  and  shoot  at  them  en  masse,  that  is  sheer  butchery  ! 

A  teacher's  work  is  well-nigh  a  failure,  then,  if  it  is 
confined  to  the  paltry  hour  of  the  Sunday  school.  You 
must  win  the  boy  on  ground  that  is  natural  to  him.  But 
what  ground  is  natural  to  him  ?  To  give  a  few  practical 
suggestions  in  answer  to  that  question  is  the  purpose  of 
this  chapter. 

Boys'  Clubs — It  has  become  quite  the  fashion  to  ad- 
vise the  organization  of  boys'  clubs,  if  religious  workers 
wish  to  get  hold  of  those  tricksy  spirits.     Now  there  is 

79 


80  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEM8 

no  doubt  that  boys  love  a  club,  though  I  fear  they  enjoy 
the  most  preposterous  club  of  their  own  contrivance  far 
more  than  the  finest  arrangement  craftily  impressed 
upon  them  from  the  outside,  though  it  be  psychologically 
perfect  in  all  its  details,  and  modeled  upon  the  ideas  of 
the  professor  of  pedagogy  who  has  written  the  latest 
book.  But  really,  with  public-school  teachers  and  Sun- 
day-school teachers  and  pastors  and  Christian  Endeavor 
workers  and  parents  and  friends  and  philosophical  in- 
vestigators of  "  the  boy  problem  "  all  forming  boy  clubs, 
Johnny  is  in  a  fair  way  to  be  clubbed  to  death.  Do  not 
form  a  boys'  club,  therefore,  in  connection  with  your 
class,  if  that  side  of  the  boy-nature  is  already  satisfied 
with  such  an  organization.     Try  some  other  plan. 

Various  Kinds  of  Clubs.— However,  if  the  way  is  clear, 
a  boys'  club  is  certainly  a  good  method.  What  sort  of 
club?  Boys  are  interested  in  many  things,  they  are 
blessedly  ready  to  be  interested  in  nearly  everything; 
therefore  you  have  chiefly  to  ask  what  you  know  most 
about,  like  best,  and  can  best  do. 

Are  you  a  walking  enthusiast  ?  Then  a  walking  club, 
— "The  Peripatetics,"  perhaps, — with  Saturday  tramps 
to  this  and  that  object  of  local  interest,  with  tests  of 
speed  and  endurance,  and  with  a  fine  infusion  of  John 
Burroughs  and  Bradford  Torrey,  will  be  the  organization 
you  are  most  likely  to  make  succeed. 

Are  you  learned  in  history  ?  Then  an  indoor  coterie, 
"  The  Explorers,"  will  find  the  fascination  of  MacMaster 
and  Macaulay,  of  Motley  and  Green.  Whatever  traces 
of  the  past  are  found  in  your  neighborhood,  also,  will 
draw  your  club  into  the  open. 


THE   BOY   OUTSIDE  THE  SCHOOL  81 

Is  chess  your  hobby  ?  Then  establish  a  "  Pillsbury 
Partnership,"  inaugurate  a  furore  of  gambits  and  prob- 
lems, and  hold  a  tournament  every  fortnight.  And  it 
might  as  well  be  checkers,  or  tennis,  or  crokinole. 

If  you  can  mount  the  class  on  bicycles,  organize  your- 
selves into  "The  Hotspurs,"  with  meets,  and  century 
runs,  and  club  colors,  and  mysterious  bugle  calls,  and  a 
range  over  the  entire  county. 

What  delightful  possibilities  for  you  and  the  boys  lie 
ensconced  in  a  natural  history  club,  the  "  Eye- Eyes  " 
("Indefatigable  Investigators")!  And  that,  whether 
you  take  for  your  province  snails  or  stars,  birds  or  butter- 
flies, fossils  or  flowers !  A  museum.  Scientific  "  papers." 
Exhibition  days.     Long  rambles  over  hill  and  dale. 

A  travel  club  (R.  R. — the  Royal  Rangers  ! )  will  minis- 
ter to  the  boys'  love  of  adventure.  Rightly  chosen  books, 
together  with  a  selection  of  the  photographs  of  foreign 
scenes  now  so  plentiful,  excellent,  and  inexpensive,  joined 
with  essays  and  readings,  and  talks  from  the  many — and 
nowadays  they  are  many,  at  every  crossroads — who  have 
actually  "  been  there," — is  not  that  a  promising  prospec- 
tus? 

Then,  there  are  possibilities  of  an  art  club  (with  the  aid 
of  photographs  and  half-tone  prints),  a  puzzle  club  ("  The 
Brain-Twisters  "),  a  scrap-book  club  ("  The  Clippers  "), — 
indeed,  you  can  attach  the  club  idea  to  any  of  your  in- 
terests, with  fair  prospects  of  making  it  an  absorbing  in- 
terest with  the  boys. 

Club  Mysteries.— One  of  the  chief  advantages  of  the 
club  is  its  opportunity  for  the  mysteriousness  in  which 
boys  greatly  delight.     You  can  give  it  an  odd  name; 


82  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

known  to  the  uninitiated  only  by  cabalistic  letters.  You 
can  have  a  badge  or  a  button,  a  system  of  pass- words 
and  hidden  tokens,  and  even  a  secret  language,  made  in- 
comprehensible by  such  easy  devices  as  the  addition  of 
"  i bus  "  "  ery  "  and  "  atic  "  to  every  word,  and  the  substi- 
tution of  "  hat  "  for  "  and,"  and  "  cob  "  for  "  the." 

l)ut  if  the  club  is  overworked  in  your  neighborhood, 
you  can  use  the  same  ideas  in  other  forms.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  form  a  Philately  Phellowship  in  order  to 
utilize  in  your  boy-winning  those  alluring  bits  of  gummed 
paper.  You  can  simply  constitute  your  sitting-room  a 
stamp  exchange,  and  gather  the  boys  there  occasionally 
with  their  albums.  You  need  not  establish  an  athletic 
club  in  order  to  conduct  a  "  Held  day,''  in  which  the  boys 
of  your  class,  acting  as  marshals,  will  set  up  the  lists  in 
running,  leaping,  vaulting,  throwing,  wrestling,  with  all 
the  boys  in  town.  An  evening  of  puzzles  at  your  house 
may  be  better  than  a  puzzle  club,  and  an  hour  or  two 
with  your  microscope  may  answer  in  lieu  of  the  4k  Eye- 
Eyes." 

I  am  not  urging  the  teacher  to  press  into  all  their  boy 
lives,  obtruding  himself  upon  every  sport  and  making 
himself  the  monitor  of  every  interest.  I  am  only  insist- 
ing that  he  should  enter  enough  of  their  lives  to  know 
them  thoroughly,  and  get  into  vital  touch  with  them. 
That  being  accomplished,  in  whatever  fashion,  his  work 
with  the  boy  outside  the  school  is  done. 

"How  Shall  I  Begin?"  is  the  question  sure  to  be 
asked  by  those  who  enjoy  none  of  this  contact  with 
their  scholars. 

Begin  gradually.     The  boy  is  a  shy  animal,  not  to  be 


THE   BOY   OUTSIDE  THE   SCHOOL  83 

caught  by  a  sudden  leap.  Perhaps  an  evening  at  your 
house  is  the  best  way,  with  good  things  to  eat  (the  boy 
demonstrates  the  Chinese  notion  that  the  seat  of  the 
affections  is  the  stomach !)  and  with  the  merriest  of 
games.  This  may  grow  into  a  regular  series  of  class 
socials,  held  once  a  month,  sometimes  at  the  home  of  the 
teacher,  sometimes  at  the  homes  of  the  scholars.  Later, 
the  class  may  even  venture  upon  corporate  hospitality, 
and  invite  some  other  class  to  an  evening's  fun. 

A  series  of  class  excursions  is  another  mode  of  ap- 
proach to  boys  that  has  proved  its  value.  Take  them  to 
the  menagerie,  having  previously  armed  yourself  with  a 
budget  of  animal  anecdotes.  Visit  the  art  gallery  with 
them,  the  museum,  and  the  public  library.  Take  them 
to  the  court  house  and  the  city  hall.  Be  their  chaperon 
at  some  interesting  session  of  the  legislature,  the  city 
council,  the  board  of  aldermen,  or  the  school  committee. 
Keep  on  the  lookout  for  bright  lectures  to  which  you 
may  escort  them.  Go  with  them  to  a  college,  and  show 
them  its  ways  of  working.  Pilot  them  through  a  fire  en- 
gine house,  a  police  station,  a  glass  factory,  a  tannery,  a 
flour  mill.  In  the  summer,  conduct  a  grand  outing,  and 
"  tent  it  "  with  them  for  a  week.  Not  all  of  these  charm- 
ing excursions  will  be  open  to  you,  but  many  of  them 
will,  and  you  can  easily  devise  substitutes  for  those  you 
must  omit.  It  is  impossible  to  measure  the  good  you 
may  accomplish  through  these  excursions  with  your  class. 
They  will  be  worth,  in  character-building  and  for  eter- 
nity, all  the  money  and  time  they  will  cost,  and  a  thou- 
sand times  more. 

Little  Attentions. — But  along  with  these  more  elaborate 


84  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

plans,  there  are  many  little  attentions  you  can  show  the 
boys  that  will  count,  often,  for  as  much  as  the  exten- 
sive schemes.  A  jolly  word  when  you  pass  them  on 
the  street.  Friendly  letters  written  to  them  when  you? 
or  they,  are  out  of  town.  Kindly  messages  and  visits 
and  little  presents  when  they  are  sick.  An  invitation, 
now  to  this  boy  and  now  to  that,  to  take  a  meal  at  your 
house,  spend  the  evening,  or  pass  the  night.  A  little  care 
in  guiding  their  reading,  with  the  recommendation  of 
"  splendid  "  books  in  the  public  library  or  the  loan  of 
equally  "  splendid  "  books  from  your  own  collection. 
One  evening  in  the  week  regularly  set  apart  as  theirs,  an 
evening  in  which  you  are  "  at  home  "  to  them  and  to 
them  alone.  One  room  in  your  house  dedicated  as  class 
headquarters,  and  used  for  that  purpose  only  and  fully. 
A  circular  letter,  to  be  passed  from  one  to  another,  in 
a  prescribed  order.  A  cumulative  letter,  to  be  passed  in 
like  manner,  but  each  member  of  the  class  to  add  a  brief 
note  as  it  comes  to  him.  A  class  paper  (if  any  scholar  has 
a  printing  press  or  a  duplicating  contrivance)  with  its 
proper  corps  of  editors  and  its  important  list  of  subscrib- 
ers. All  of  these  ways  of  winning  the  boys  are  feasi- 
ble for  some  teachers,  and  some  of  them  are  feasible  for 
all  teachers. 

There  is  no  need  of  emphasizing  the  necessity  of  see- 
ing them  often  in  their  own  homes,  knowing  their 
parents,  their  surroundings,  their  helps  and  hindrances 
in  this  place  where  helps  and  hindrances  are  most  pow- 
erful. This  duty  is  quite  generally  recognized.  Would 
that  it  were  heeded  as  generally. 

In  all  of  this  familiar  intercourse  with  the  boys,  where 


THE   BOY   OUTSIDE  THE  SCHOOL  85 

does  religion  come  in  ?  It  comes  in  everywhere,  under, 
neath,  though  it  may  come  in  nowhere  on  the  surface. 
It  is  impossible  to  enter  into  any  pleasant,  helpful  rela- 
tion with  your  scholars  out  of  school  that  will  not 
strengthen  your  influence  in  school,  confirm  your  teach- 
ing and  inspire  their  studying. 

The  essentials  are,  first,  to  know  the  boy.  You  can- 
not teach  any  one  until  you  know  him.  Second,  to  love 
the  boy.  You  cannot  know  any  one  until  you  love  him. 
Third,  to  get  the  boy  to  know  you  and  love  you,  without 
which  also  he  cannot  be  taught  by  you.  Don't  pretend. 
Don't  "let  yourself  down"  to  them.  Don't  think  that 
you  must  act  like  a  boy  in  order  to  win  a  boy.  Be  sin- 
cere and  manly  and  downright.  Be  jolly  and  sympa- 
thetic and  alert.  In  becoming  their  comrade  never  cease 
to  become  their  leader. 

And  in  it  all,  estimate  very  lightly  what  you  are  doing 
for  them  compared  with  what  they  are  doing  for  you. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THOSE    NOTICES 

The  giving  of  notices  is  a  Sunday  -school  necessity. 
Some  schools  minimize  the  notices,  others  revel  in  them, 
but  all  must  endure  them. 

The  Value  of  Notices. — And  they  are  by  no  means 
an  unmixed  evil.  Rightly  managed,  they  may  quicken 
attention  and  agreeably  diversify  the  exercises.  They 
introduce  the  scholars  to  new  and  helpful  interests. 
They  serve  as  a  sort  of  table  of  contents  of  Christian 
work. 

They  inuy  be  all  this,  but  they  seldom  are.  Usually, 
they  are  hindrances  and  nuisances.  Usually,  the  hack- 
neyed introduction,  "  Listen  to  the  following  notices,"  is 
a  signal  for  confusion  or  apathy.  The  superintendent 
stumbles  over  unfamiliar  chirography.  He  drones  and 
mumbles.  lie  rambles  through  long  and  unessential 
particulars.  lie  repeats,  and  repeats,  and  repeats.  lie 
faithfully  rehearses  whatever  stupidity  is  handed  him. 
Thus,  for  instance  : — 

"The  twenty-first  annual  convention  of  the  Sunday- 
school  Association  of  Caldwell  County  will  meet  at 
Urbana  on  Thursday,  December  6.  Interesting  ad- 
dresses are  expected  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Augustus  B. 
Brownlow  and  Prof.  James  L.  Guinness.  A  full  attend- 
ance is  desired.  All  are  urgently  invited  to  be  present. 
Per  order  committee,  John  Smith,  chairman." 

86 


THOSE   NOTICES  87 

Great  good  will  that  do ! 

Brisk  Notices. — How  much  more  likely  would  the 
teachers  be  to  attend  that  convention  if  the  superin- 
tendent should  say  : — 

"I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  Urbana  next 
Thursday.  I  really  can't  afford  to  miss  our  county 
Sunday-school  convention.  Dr.  Brownlow  is  to  speak, — 
the  most  helpful  Bible  student  within  a  hundred  miles, 
— and  Professor  Guinness, — the  man  who  carries  on  that 
splendid  class  of  working  men  over  in  Shelby ville,  you 
know.  I  hope  that  many  of  our  teachers  will  be  able  to 
share  this  treat." 

Maybe  it  is  a  teachers1  meeting : — 

"I  desire  to  give  notice  that  the  regular  teachers' 
meeting  will  be  held  this  week  on  Tuesday  evening  at 
the  usual  time,  7.30  P.  M.  It  will  be  held  at  the  usual 
place,  in  the  parsonage.  A  very  full  attendance  is  de- 
sired, as  the  meeting  is  to  be  addressed  by  Mrs.  Randall, 
who  will  discuss  the  geography  of  Palestine.  Don't  for- 
get, the  parsonage,  and  7.30  p.  M.,  sharp.  I  hope  all  the 
teachers  will  be  present.  Let  every  one  come.  The  at- 
tendance at  our  teachers'  meetings  has  fallen  off  lately. 
Now  I  hope  that  every  teacher  in  this  school  will  be  at 
the  parsonage  next  Tuesday  evening,  at  7.30  sharp.  It 
is  very  desirable  to  have  a  full  attendance.  Yery.  The 
parsonage,  7.30,  Tuesday  evening,  remember.  Let  all 
come." 

That  is  a  very  naked  hook,  and  it  would  be  a 
hungry  fish  that  would  bite.  Why  such  insistence  on 
the  familiar  details,  the  "usual"  time  and  place,  and 
the  desirability  of  attendance?     Never  mind  the  desir- 


88  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

ability;  what  is  needed  is  to  arouse  desire.  Thus, 
perhaps : — 

"  You  all  know  that  Mrs.  'Randall  has  just  got  back 
from  the  Holy  Land.  I  was  at  her  house  the  other 
evening,  and  she  showed  me  a  lot  of  interesting  things, 
and  told  me  a  lot  of  interesting  facts.  She  can  make 
one  almost  believe  he  has  been  to  Jerusalem  himself, 
and  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth,  and  all  the  precious  places. 
Now  she  is  going  to  speak  at  the  teachers'  meeting  on 
Tuesday  evening,  and  I  don't  believe  the  parsonage  will 
begin  to  hold  all  that  want  to  hear  her.  The  teachers 
would  better  go  early." 

From  these  illustrations  several  points  will  be  evi- 
dent : — 

Notices  should  not  be  read,  but  given  in  the  superin- 
tendent's own  words,  in  a  brisk,  conversational  style. 
The  more  of  himself  the  superintendent  puts  into  the 
notice,  the  more  of  his  hearers  is  he  likely  to  grip. 

At  the  same  time,  for  the  sake  of  accuracy,  the  super- 
intendent should  have  the  notice  before  him  in  writing; 
and  if  he  is  to  give  several  notices,  they  should  be  pinned 
or  pasted  together,  to  avoid  confusion  and  quicken  the 
operation. 

The  tedious  insistence  on  non-essentials  is  the  great 
flaw  in  most  giving  of  notices.  Pick  out  what  is  impor- 
tant to  be  known,  and  let  the  rest  go. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  notice  must  be  full  enough  to 
leave  an  impression  of  facts,  and  not  flash  like  a  meteor's 
path,  that  instantly  melts  into  the  sky. 

The  value  of  a  notice  is  quite  doubled  if  you  can  say 
"I"  all  through  it.     Personality  counts.     If  you  have 


THOSE   NOTICES  89 

heard  the  lecturer  whose  course  you  are  announcing,  and 
like  him,  say  so.  If  you  are  going  to  a  meeting  you  are 
advertising  and  anticipate  pleasure,  put  that  in.  And  if 
you  cannot  incorporate  your  own  personality,  perhaps 
you  can  attach  to  the  notice  the  personality  of  some  one 
else. 

A  bit  of  fun  is  invaluable,  if  you  would  have  the  notice 
remembered ;  only,  join  the  joke  so  closely  to  the  an- 
nouncement that  the  two  are  inseparable,  or  the  comi- 
cality will  be  certain  to  fly  away  with  your  hearers' 
attention,  and  leave  far  out  of  sight  the  facts  to  be 
remembered. 

In  fine,  the  notices  require  preparation,  often  as  careful 
preparation  as  any  other  feature  of  the  Sunday-school 
hour.  Usually,  important  interests  depend  upon  them 
for  their  success,  and  it  is  a  shameful  neglect  of  "  our 
Father's  business"  to  present  them  in  a  slovenly  and 
ineffective  manner.  Here,  as  everywhere  else,  profit 
springs  from  preparation. 

I  would  even  go  so  far  as  to  write  out  different  ways 
of  making  important  notices  and  study  them,  so  as  to 
select  the  most  attractive  phrases.  Of  course,  this  is 
only  for  practice,  and  not  with  any  view  to  reading  a 
written  notice  before  the  school. 

Much  depends  upon  the  voice  you  use.  Let  it  be  loud, 
but  not  harsh  ;  decisive,  but  not  jerky ;  pleasant,  but  not 
undignified. 

Much  depends  on  the  time  you  select.  Do  not  choose 
a  moment  of  restlessness  and  confusion,  or  a  time  when 
the  school  is  attending  to  something  else, — finding  a 
hymn,  perhaps,  or  making  an  offering.     If  the  notices 


90  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

are  worth  giving  at  all,  they  are  worth  a  whole  hearing 
and  not  a  divided  one. 

The  best  time  for  the  notices  is  early  in  the  session, 
perhaps  following  the  prayer.  Some  particulars  of  lead- 
ing moment,  however,  may  need  to  be  repeated  at  the 
close  of  the  hour,  in  order  to  clinch  them  upon  the 
memory. 

Some  notices  may  best  be  given  upon  the  blackboard, 
without  a  spoken  word.  If  you  try  the  plan,  make  sure 
that  every  letter  is  easily  read  from  the  remotest  corner 
of  the  room.  A  unique  effect  may  be  gained  from  a 
brightly  worded  announcement,  prettily  printed  with 
colored  chalk,  put  in  place  by  the  superintendent,  and 
pointed  to  in  absolute  silence. 

A  little  drawing  adds  much  to  such  advertisements, 
and  even  very  indifferent  talents  shine  under  the  gener- 
ous indistinctness  of  crayon.  For  example,  if  you  want 
to  announce  a  Christinas  concert,  draw  a  Christmas  tree 
and  color  it  green,  with  yellow  flashing  candles  and 
bright  red  bundles.  If  it  is  a  harvest  festival  you  are 
proclaiming,  depict  an  ear  of  golden  corn.  If  it  is  an 
Easter  exercise,  draw  an  egg. 

Large  sheets  of  paper,  even  the  cheap  manila  wrapping- 
paper,  make  excellent  substitutes  for  the  blackboard,  if 
you  lack  that  most  useful  and  easily  obtained  Sunday- 
school  aid.  A  bulletin  board  at  the  entrance  may  give 
out  most  of  your  notices  for  you,  or  at  least  impress 
them  more  deeply  on  the  mind.  Little  slips  of  paper, 
on  which  the  notice  has  been  printed  by  one  of  the  man  v 
inexpensive  manifolding  devices,  may  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  every  one;  and  if  the  trouble  is  warranted, 


THOSE   NOTICES  91 

no  better  mode  of  Sunday-school  advertising  could  be 
devised. 

The  Extra  Notices. — All  that  has  been  said  applies, 
also,  of  course,  to  the  many  recurring  notifications  that 
can  scarcely  be  called  notices  in  any  formal  sense. 

For  instance,  the  school  has  sent  a  gift  to  some  mis- 
sionary, and  a  letter  of  thanks  has  been  received.  How 
tiresome  to  read  the  letter  in  toto,  from  the  date  line  at 
the  beginning,  through  all  the  pleasant  but  often  incon- 
sequential particulars,  to  the  signature  at  the  close !  Let 
the  superintendent  fix  in  his  mind  the  brightest  points  of 
the  letter,  and  talk  it  off :  — 

"  You  remember  that  ten  dollars  we  sent  Mr.  Saunders, 
out  in  Idaho  ?  He  has  written  me  a  letter,  and  you  can't 
guess  how  much  good  that  money  has  done.  Why,  it 
has  bought  the  baby  some  new  socks,  and  Jimmy  Saun- 
ders a  new  pair  of  mittens,  and  mended  a  hole  in  the 
roof,  and — "  so  you  go  on,  while  every  mind  is  attentive. 
If  you  had  read  that  letter,  however  brightly  Mr.  Saun- 
ders might  have  written  it,  you  could  not  have  produced 
an  equal  effect. 

There  are  also  such  announcements  as  the  number 
present  and  the  amount  of  the  collection.  These  facts 
may  be  so  stated  as  to  increase  both  the  attendance  and 
the  offering,  or  they  may  be  put  before  the  school  in  a 
way  so  dull  and  careless  as  to  render  the  scholars  them- 
selves stupid  and  indifferent. 

Sometimes  the  secretary  and  treasurer  make  these  an- 
nouncements ;  and  this  is  a  good  plan,  if  they  can  be  de- 
pended upon  to  speak  at  the  right  instant,  briskly  and 
loudly.     Indeed,  the  superintendent  will  always  do  well 


92  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

to  get  some  one  else  to  make  an  announcement  for  him, 
provided  the  substitute  has  some  personal  interest  in 
what  he  is  going  to  say,  and  can  speak  precisely  to  the 
point. 

And  finally,  I  hope  none  of  my  readers  will  think  I 
have  spent  too  many  words  upon  a  small  matter.  No 
constantly  recurring  Sunday-school  feature  is  a  small 
matter.  Only  a  few  minutes  are  given  to  the  notices,  to 
be  sure ;  but  multiply  them  by  tens  of  thousands  of 
schools  and  millions  upon  millions  of  listening  scholars, 
and  the  total  of  precious  time  and  possible  influence 
would  surely  warrant  many  a  chapter  longer  than  this. 
It  is  the  littles  that  make  success,  in  the  Sunday  school 
and  everywhere  else. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE   SWING   OF   THE   SCHOOL 

You  notice  the  difference  as  soon  as  you  enter. 

One  school  is  alert,  the  other  loggy  ;  one  is  attentive, 
the  other  heedless ;  one  is  interested,  the  other  bored. 
The  first  school  seems  to  run  itself ;  the  second,  to  be 
painfully  hauled.  The  first  school  marches — tramp, 
tramp,  tramp,  the  irresistible  swing  of  the  regiment. 
The  second  school  hobbles  and  crawls. 

This  is  a  fundamental  difference  in  schools.  There  are 
other  fundamental  reasons  why  some  schools  are  com- 
parative failures;  but  if  they  have  not  this  regimental 
swing,  that  is  certainly  one  reason. 

The  Officers. — This  swing  implies,  in  the  first  place, 
good  officers.  When  you  see  a  body  of  men  or  boys 
marching  with  this  glorious  alacrity,  unison,  and  poise, 
you  will  know  that  he  of  the  shoulder  straps  or  the 
chevrons  is  back  of  it.  That  march  is  his  zeal  incor- 
porated, his  enthusiasm  and  skill  and  patience.  And 
likewise  when  you  see  a  Sunday  school  that  goes  with  a 
swing  you  will  be  sure  that  its  officers  are  no  dawdling 
incompetents,  but  that  they  are  business  men,  about  the 
King's  business. 

The  Drill. — The  Sunday-school  swing  implies,  in  the 
second  place,  long  and  persistent  drill,  just  as  in  the  case 
of  the  regiment.  A  certain  measure  of  routine  is  essen- 
tial if  a  school  is  to  run  smoothly.     Endless  changes, 

93 


94  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

incessant  variety,  may  keep  the  scholars  expectant,  but 
it  also  keeps  them  uncertain  and  hesitant.  Familiar 
roads  are  smooth  ;  and  if  they  are  well  made,  they  are 
free  from  ruts. 

The  Band. — Much  of  the  regimental  swing  is  due,  in 
the  third  place,  to  the  regimental  band.  Its  inspiring 
strains  quicken  every  foot,  with  every  heart.  They  bind 
the  regiment  firmly  together  by  the  invisible  cable  of 
sound,  so  that  the  thousand  move  as  a  single  man.  And 
what  the  band  is  to  the  regiment,  that  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  superintendent  is  to  the  Sunday  school.  His  smiles 
are  reflected  in  the  smiles  of  a  hundred  faces.  His  words 
of  cheer,  his  jolly  laugh,  his  calm  trust  and  confidence, 
multiply  themselves  wherever  he  moves  among  the  classes. 
It  is  a  glorious  privilege,  thus  to  set  the  time  for  the 
march  of  the  whole  school. 

All  Together.— Imt  no  one  man  makes  the  regimental 
swing,  not  even  the  colonel,  lead  he  never  so  magnifi- 
cently. Xo  band  makes  it,  play  it  never  so  briskly.  The 
regimental  swing  requires  the  co-operation  of  the  men 
of  the  regiment,  practically  of  them  all.  And  so  in  the 
Sunday  school :  it  is  not  enough  for  the  superintendent 
to  be  enthusiastic  or  the  teachers  to  be  well  trained  ;  the 
school  will  not  swing  till  the  scholars  also  have  caught 
the  step  and  are  alive  with  the  rhythm. 

The  swing  of  the  school  begins  with  the  opening  word 
of  the  superintendent,  or  even  with  his  decisive  stepping 
upon  the  platform.  That  appearance  before  the  school 
should  be  the  sole  signal  for  quiet  and  attention,  recog- 
nized and  obeyed  as  a  thousand  clanging  call  bells  never 
would  be. 


THE  SWING  OF  THE   SCHOOL  95 

The  Start. — If  a  company  of  soldiers  starts  to  march 
in  a  straggling,  listless  way,  they  will  straggle  listlessly 
to  their  journey's  end.  How  often,  when  I  was  drilling 
at  school,  did  the  sergeant  stop  the  company  with  a  sharp 
"Halt!"  if  we  did  not  start  off  with  left  feet  simulta- 
neously brisk  !  And,  alas  !  for  the  multitude  of  schools 
that  are  started  Sunday  after  Sunday  in  the  same  old, 
listless  way — the  same  songs  sung  in  the  same  fashion  at 
the  same  intervals ;  the  same  reading  of  Scripture,  verse 
about;  the  same  prayer,  with  its  stock  phrases  about 
"  choose  out  our  changes  "  and  "  each  and  every  one  of 
us,"  and  "  all  this  with  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins  "  ;  the 
same  conclusion,  "  The  classes  will  now  study  the  lesson." 

The  superintendent  should  prepare  for  the  start-off  as 
thoroughly  as  the  teachers  prepare  for  the  lesson.  He 
should  devise  little  surprises,  a  new  order,  fresh  methods 
for  the  old  order.  The  opening  exercises  give  the  time 
for  the  whole  session.     Do  not  let  them  drag. 

The  Programme. — Beginning  thus,  the  swing  of  the 
school  will  depend  on  a  swift  programme,  well  thought 
out  beforehand,  and  carried  through  with  no  pauses  or 
delays.  If  one  feature  fails  or  is  tardy,  pass  promptly 
to  the  next,  returning  to  it,  if  you  choose  and  it  is  ready. 
It  would  be  comical,  if  it  were  not  so  sad,  to  see  how  quickly 
a  school  goes  to  pieces  while  the  superintendent  is  having 
a  whispered  consultation  with  one  of  his  officers,  or  the 
secretary,  who  was  to  read  a  notice,  is  fumbling  for  it 
through  his  pockets.  Allow  no  opportunity  for  this 
catastrophe.     Keep  things  moving. 

The  Close.— Then,  if  this  swinging  opening  is  to  be 
brought  to  the  climax  of  a  swinging  close  that  will  carry 


96  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

the  effect  of  the  Sunday  school  throughout  the  coming 
week,  the  school  must  not  be  allowed  to  break  step  in 
the  teaching  half  hour.  The  superintendent,  as  was  his 
duty,  has  delivered  the  scholars  to  the  teachers  with 
minds  eager  and  receptive.  It  is  their  duty  to  deliver 
the  scholars  back  to  him  still  unfagged  and  alert.  Im- 
press this  responsibility  upon  them,  and  show  them  how 
to  do  it.  In  other  words,  have  a  weekly  teachers' 
meeting  ! 

There  are  many  superintendents  that  will  not  know 
what  I  am  talking  about  in  this  article,  and  never  will 
know  until  chance,  or  a  blessed  providence,  or  the  wise 
arrangement  for  visiting  made  by  some  Sunday-school 
association,  brings  them  into  a  school  that  does  move 
with  a  swing.  I  worked  for  years  in  a  school  without  a 
swing,  and  knew  no  better  till  I  was  led,  one  happy  day, 
into  a  school  of  the  opposite  kind.  It  was,  indeed,  an 
enlightenment. 

And  after  a  man  has  had  this  experience  he  is  never 
again  satisfied  with  Sunday-school  flabbiness.  lie  has 
seen  that  the  Sunday-school  swing  means  officers  cheered 
by  a  sense  of  progress,  teachers  in  their  places  with  their 
hearts  on  their  duty,  enthusiasm  everywhere,  and  bright- 
ness and  determination.  Best  of  all,  he  perceives  that 
the  school  swing  is  infectious;  that  it  draws  in  with  it, 
in  spite  of  themselves,  the  listless,  the  mischievous,  and 
the  stupid,  and  incorporates  them  with  the  onrush  of  the 
regiment.  Were  it  only  to  sweep  such  as  these  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  the  Sunday-school  swing  would  be 
infinitely  worth  while. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE    PEDAGOGIC   VALUE   OF   FUN 

There  is  a  capital  story  by  Owen  Wister  called 
"  Philosophy  Four."  It  represents  two  hearty  students 
of  Harvard,  who  are  afflicted  with  Course  Four  in  the 
uncongenial  study  of  philosophy,  and  are  doing  some  very 
necessary  but  very  doleful  cramming  under  a  pedantic 
tutor  in  preparation  for  the  ordeal  of  final  examinations. 
Maddened  beyond  control  by  the  delights  of  a  perfect 
June  morning,  they  boldly  escape  from  their  tutor  into  a 
far-away  meadow,  where  they  convert  philosophy  into  a 
jovial  sport,  pelting  each  other  with  inquiries  concerning 
Pythagoras  and  the  rest,  and  keeping  score  against  each 
other  as  if  the  game  were  football  or  tennis.  In  the  ex- 
amination next  day  they  outrank  their  disgusted  tutor — 
a  conclusion  entirely  natural,  and  much  applauded  by  the 
reader. 

Pleasure  and  Profit.— What  was  true  of  Philosophy  Four 
is  true  of  all  studies  whatever,  and  assuredly  true  of  our 
Sunday-school  work,  namely,  that  "  No  profit  goes  where 
there's  no  pleasure  ta'en, "  and  that,  per  contra,  the 
nearer  a  study  can  approach  to  a  game,  the  better  results 
will  be  won,  in  the  memory  and  the  life. 

I  do  not  advocate  buffoonery,  of  course,  the  telling  of 
jokes  malapropos,  the  meaningless  grin,  the  nervous 
titter,  the  sacrifice  of  worth  to  wit  and  of  profit  to  a 
pun.     A  monkey  in  a  school-room  would  doubtless  win 

97 


98  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

and  hold  the  attention  of  the  children,  but  he  would  see 
the  outside  of  the  door  even  more  promptly  than  Mary's 
little  lamb. 

Still  less  do  I  suggest  the  use  of  sarcasm,  that  teachers 
should  "make  fun"  of  the  mistakes  of  their  scholars. 
Fun  means  sympathy,  entering  into  the  feeling  of  the 
class  and  into  the  spirit  of  your  task.  There  is  no  fun 
that  is  not  fun  for  two. 

The  advantages  of  fun  in  teaching  the  Sunday-school 
lesson  are  many.  It  clarities  the  head.  A  good  laugh 
is  a  tonic  to  the  brain  as  well  as  to  the  blood.  Note 
how  the  eyes  of  the  children  brighten  when  they  are 
amused.  Their  minds  brighten  at  the  same  time,  back 
of  their  eyes. 

That  is  one  reason  why  the  stories  told  by  a  witty 
speaker  are  sure  to  be  remembered,  even  though  his 
earnest  remarks  are  forgotten,  and  that  is  why  so  many 
are  afraid  of  introducing  humor  into  serious  discussions. 
This  difficulty,  however,  arises  only  from  the  habit  of 
throwing  in  comicalities  merely  to  raise  a  laugh,  bits  of 
humor  that  are  practically  unconnected  with  the  subject, 
like  clusters  of  electric  lights  placed  in  front  of  a  picture. 
But  there  is  no  such  difficulty  if  the  fun  is  introduced 
like  electric  lights  half  covered  in  the  ceiling,  a  reflector 
throwing  all  their  light  on  the  picture  below.  Attach 
your  merriment  to  the  points  of  the  lesson  so  that  the 
two  are  inseparably  joined  together  in  your  scholars' 
minds,  and  whatever  brightness  you  bring  into  the  lesson 
will  simply  insure  its  retention  in  the  memory. 

Another  reason  for  the  use  of  fun  in  teaching  the 
lesson  is  that  thus  you  check  your  scholars'  tendency  to 


THE  PEDAGOGIC  VALUE  OF  FUN         99 

mischief.  A  good  laugh  is  a  safety-valve  for  energy  that 
might  otherwise  work  itself  off  in  disorder.  These 
lively  pieces  of  humanity  are  determined  to  have  a  good 
time  somehow.     See  that  they  have  it,  but  in  your  way. 

Our  Happy  Religion. — The  best  reason  for  the  intro- 
duction of  fun  into  your  teaching  is  that  thus  you  show 
the  happy  side  of  religion;  you  make  it  evident  that 
Christianity  is  not  a  compound  of  long  faces,  sighs,  and 
darkened  rooms,  but  that  it  is  cheery,  sunshiny,  hearty, 
even  jovial. 

Once  in  Canada  I  came  across  a  summer  colony  of  a 
peculiar  sect,  an  article  in  whose  creed  was  the  right  to 
laugh  right  out  in  meeting.  I  attended  some  of  their 
religious  gatherings,  and  was  startled,  and  interested  if 
not  edified,  by  the  frank,  unafraid,  unmistakable  laughter 
with  which,  all  over  the  auditorium,  the  brethren  and 
sisters  manifested  their  pleasure  in  the  utterances  of  their 
minister. 

Well,  I  would  not  advocate  that  custom,  but  still  I 
should  decidedly  prefer  it  to  the  religious  whine  and  the 
pious  groan.  It  appears  more  uncouth  only  because  it 
is  less  common.  Ah,  Sunday-school  workers,  we  are  en- 
gaged in  the  propagation  of  earth's  supreme  happiness, 
the  one  source  of  all  joy  there  is.  As  a  commercial 
traveler  carries  samples  of  his  goods,  as  a  barber  must 
look  neat  about  the  head  and  a  tailor  about  the  body, 
so  let  us,  whose  business  it  is  to  advocate  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  exhibit  in  our  lives  the  essence  of  that  king- 
dom— not  only  righteousness  and  peace,  but  also  joy  in 
the  Holy  Ghost! 

A  Merry  Bearing. — To  gain  this   desirable  element  for 


100  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

your  teaching,  it  is  not  essential  that  you  have  a  sharp 
tongue,  ready  with  quip  and  crank.  A  merry  bearing, 
without  a  spoken  word,  will  greatly  commend  you  to  the 
hearts  of  the  young  folks.  Marvelous  is  the  effect  of  a 
cheerful  face,  a  dancing  eye,  a  brisk  and  alert  carriage, 
(io  witli  these  to  the  class,  and  you  have  well-nigh  suc- 
ceeded before  you  begin. 

Brisk  Speech. — Add  to  this  a  sprightly  way  of  talking. 
A  droning  teacher  would  better  lav  aside  his  commission 
till  he  can  reform  his  voice.  Questions  that  hesitate 
will  never  elicit  prompt  replies.  Explanations  that  limp 
and  exhortations  that  stumble  will  never  lead  these  direct 
young  minds  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  I  think  that 
most  Sunday-school  teachers  talk  too  slowly.  When 
men  are  eager,  when  they  are  "dead  in  earnest, "  their 
words  crowd  on  one  another's  heels,  and  Hash  with  the 
fiery  torches  of  conviction.  There  is  no  deliberate, 
stately  utterance  when  children  are  at  play,  or  when 
grown-ups  are  really  enjoying  themselves. 

Be  Your  Scholars'  Chum. — Another  fatal  defect  of 
manner  is  that  indefinable  primness,  quality  of  the  tradi- 
tional schoolma'am,  which  at  once  puts  a  thousand 
leagues  between  you  and  your  scholars.  Most  desirable 
is  that  easy  comraderie  with  which  all  successful  teach- 
ers approach  their  classes — a  fascinating  friendliness 
with  which  some  are  naturally  gifted,  but  which  others 
must  strive  after  with  long  desire.  The  prim  teacher 
will  say,  "  You  are  mistaken,  Lucy.  Can  you  not  give 
the  correct  reply?"  And  Lucy  will  blush  and  dumbly 
shake  her  head.  The  teacher  who  is  "just  too  lovely  for 
anything"  will  say,  "  O  come  now,  Lucy,  I  know  you 


THE  PEDAGOGIC  VALUE  OF  FUN        101 

don't  mean  that!  Just  think  a  minute,  dear."  And 
Lucy  will  grin  and  give  the  right  answer,  if  it  is  in  her 
curly  pate. 

Of  course,  this  comraderie  cannot  be  merely  feigned. 
It  must  be  the  real  thing,  or  not  at  all.  The  teacher 
must  actually  be  on  easy  terms  with  her  scholars,  or  she 
cannot  talk  easily  with  them.  And  how  shall  one  get 
on  easy  terms  with  one's  class  ?  It  cannot  be  done  with- 
out spending  time  and  taking  trouble.  The  teacher  must 
have  good  times  with  the  class  outside  the  Sunday 
school.  Arrange  occasional  expeditions  with  them,  to 
some  museum,  or  library,  or  public  institution,  or  scene 
of  historical  interest.  Take  walks  with  them  now  and 
then,  to  study  the  birds,  or  the  flowers,  or  the  rocks. 
Hold  a  field  day,  for  outdoor  games  and  athletic  con- 
tests. Invite  them  to  your  home  for  an  evening  of 
games.  Now  and  then  get  them  to  meet  at  your  house 
to  study  next  Sunday's  lesson  with  you,  following  the 
study  with  games,  singing,  and  a  round  of  apples  and 
nuts.  Invite  other  classes,  that  will  be  congenial,  to 
join  your  class  sometimes  in  these  pleasant  hours. 

Enjoying  it  Yourself. — And  how,  it  may  be  asked,  if 
you  do  not  take  kindly  to  games,  if  you  do  not  enjoy 
them  and  are  awkward  at  them  ?  What  if  fun  does  not 
"come  natural "  to  you  ? 

Well,  in  that  case  about  the  first  thing  you  need  to  do 
is  to  make  fun  natural  to  you!  Change  your  nature. 
Gloom  is  not  goodness — it  is  almost  its  opposite.  It  is 
a  serious  handicap  to  be  too  serious ;  it  is  likely  to 
lessen  your  influence  over  others.  Men  that  are  most 
saintly  and  most  deeply  in  earnest — like  Phillips  Brooks, 


102  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

for  instance,  or  Moody,  or  Spurgeon — are  men  that 
know  best  how  to  laugh  and  how  to  make  others  laugh. 
If  you  would  strive  as  earnestly  to  learn  to  play  as  you 
strive  to  succeed  in  your  work,  you  would  learn  to  play, 
and  your  work  would  be  immensely  benefited  by  the 
operation.  Certainly  you  cannot  get  your  class  to  enjoy 
their  work  until  you  also  enjoy  it,  until  you  put  into  it 
the  vivacity  and  zest  of  recreation. 

Something  of  the  spirit  of  a  game  should  enter  all 
recitations.  Those  two  young  men  of  "  Philosophy 
Four"  were  all  the  better  friends  because  of  their 
friendly  contest  out  in  the  meadows,  and  they  became 
friends,  moreover,  with  the  subject.  I  like  to  divide 
classes,  half  against  half,  and  keep  competitive  score  of 
their  answers  to  my  questions.  I  like  to  set  one  scholar 
after  another  before  a  class,  and  see  who  can  stand  the 
longest  fire  of  interrogatories.  I  like  to  write  divisions 
of  the  subject  upon  slips  of  paper  and  have  the  class 
draw  them  by  lot,  each  elucidating  the  topic  he  draws. 
I  like  to  make  an  outline  map  upon  the  blackboard  and 
then  cover  it  while  the  scholars  copy  it  from  memory, 
fastening  a  gilt  paper  star  upon  the  best  copy.  In  many 
other  ways  it  is  possible  to  introduce  into  the  recitation 
the  spirit  of  a  game,  the  spirit  of  friendly  and  fascinat- 
ing  contest. 

Plan  the  Fun. — This  enlivening  of  the  lesson  must  be 
planned  for  as  carefully  as  any  other  feature  of  the 
teacher's  work ;  it  will  not  come  without  planning. 
Especially  if  the  theme  is  heavy  and  difficult  is  such  en- 
livening necessary  for  the  best  results.  It  will  not  des- 
troy good  impressions;  it  will  do  the  opposite,  it  will 


THE  PEDAGOGIC  VALUE  OF  FUN        103 

clinch  them.  I  would  introduce  into  every  lesson  plan 
one  section  that  I  would  call  "  Just  for  Fun."  It  would 
really  be  more  than  that,  but  never  mind. 

Perhaps  it  would  be  merely  the  telling  of  a  bright  and 
pointed  story.  A  good  illustration,  with  a  whiff  of  fun 
in  it,  will  brighten  a  lesson  wonderfully.  To  gather 
these  I  have  a  plan  which  I  commend  to  all  Sunday- 
school  workers.  I  keep  a  large  number  of  envelopes, 
each  marked  with  the  name  of  some  virtue,  vice,  or  other 
commonly  recurring  category,  and  all  arranged  in 
alphabetical  order.  Into  these  goes  a  large  and  con- 
stantly growing  collection  of  anecdotes  and  other  ma- 
terial for  illustrations.  When  I  read  a  good  story, 
suitable  for  use  in  brightening  a  Sunday-school  lesson, 
I  cut  it  out  and  put  it  in  the  appropriate  envelope. 
When  I  hear  a  good  illustration  I  jot  down  the  points, 
and  file  my  notes  in  the  same  way.  Thus  I  have  at  my 
instant  command  a  well- filled  storehouse  of  material  for 
enlivening  my  lessons. 

Specimen  Illustrations.— For  example,  we  are  to  dis- 
cuss next  Sunday  Paul's  testimony  that  he  had  learned, 
in  whatsoever  state,  to  be  therein  content.  I  find  in  my 
envelope  marked  "Contentment "  some  notes  of  a  bit  of 
observation  made  by  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  tell  the  class 
next  Sunday  how  she  was  walking  out  one  day  when  she 
passed  the  house  of  a  poor  old  woman  and  saw  her  sit- 
ting on  her  front  porch.  Now  this  woman's  husband, 
John  by  name,  was  a  ne'er-do-well  and  a  drunkard,  who 
abused  the  old  woman  shamefully ;  and  yet  she  was  sit- 
ting there,  her  face  radiant  with  smiles. 


104:  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

"  Why,  Aunt  Marthy,"  said  my  friend,  "you  must  have 
had  good  news,  you  look  so  happy." 

"  No,"  said  the  dear  old  lad}',  "  but  I  was  just  thinking 
if  my  John  was  good  and  kind,  how  nice  it  would  be!" 

Or  perhaps  the  lesson  is  on  prayer,  and  includes 
Christ's  saying  that  whatever  we  ask  for  we  are  to  be- 
lieve that  we  have  it,  and  we — have  it.  Straightway  in 
my  envelope  marked  "  Faith"  I  find  the  story  of  a  very 
poor  family  of  a  town  in  which  I  once  lived.  There  was 
nothing  to  eat  in  the  house,  but  the  mother  had  gone  out 
to  beg  some  bread  and  milk  for  her  children.  In  eager 
and  confident  expectation  the  children  sat  in  a  row  be- 
fore the  lire,  each  with  an  empty  bowl  and  a  spoon. 

Suddenly  the  oldest  noticed  that  the  youngest  had  his 
bowl  tipped  very  much  to  one  side. 

"Sammy!"  she  exclaimed,  "see  what  you're  doin'! 
You're  spillin'  your  milk — when  you  git  it ! " 

Your  Own  Discoveries. — Such  illustrations  as  these  two 
are,  for  me,  vastly  better  than  perhaps  more  striking 
illustrations  that  I  have  merely  picked  up  from  books, 
because  the  two  little  events  happened  in  my  own  town. 
In  like  manner,  the  anecdotes  I  discover  for  myself,  in 
books,  periodicals,  or  the  sermons  I  hear,  are  better  for 
my  use  than  the  admirable  illustrations  I  find  in  the 
lesson  helps,  though  I  use  them  also.  The  more  inti- 
mately the  illustrations  are  associated  with  your  own 
life,  the  more  valuable  will  they  be  in  your  teaching. 

If  that  is  true,  then  certainly  the  most  useful  illustra- 
tion of  all  is  one  associated  with  the  lives  of  your  scholars. 
If  you  have  become  one  of  their  number,  if  you  are  ad- 
mitted to  their  little  jokes  and  are  acquainted  with  the 


THE  PEDAGOGIC  VALUE  OF  FUN        105 

incidents  of  their  lives  that  mean  the  most  to  them,  then 
you  will  miss  a  great  opportunity  if  you  do  not  utilize 
such  knowledge  in  teaching  the  lesson.  For  example, 
you  are  talking  about  Saul's  rapid  progress  in  evil  as 
soon  as  he  allowed  the  spirit  of  jealousy  to  creep  into  his 
heart,  and  you  slyly  remark,  "Saul  found  his  downward 
course  accelerated  after  the  first  wrong  step,  just  as  Tom 
the  other  day  kept  rolling  faster  and  faster  when  he 
slipped  on  Pigeon  Hill !  "  Tom,  certainly,  and  probably 
all  the  rest  of  the  class,  will  never  forget  that  point. 

Use  Your  Imagination. — Perhaps  the  best  mode  of  en- 
livening the  lesson  is  by  a  vigorous  use  of  a  consecrated 
imagination  applied  to  the  Scripture  you  are  studying. 
I  was  always  impressed  by  this  in  the  preaching  of 
D.  L.  Moody.  The  great  evangelist  was  never  more 
happy  than  when  engaged  in  the  exposition  of  some 
event  of  the  Bible.  It  was  so  real  to  him  that  he  made 
it  real  to  the  audience.  His  hearers  became  spectators, 
as  the  actual  scene  was  spread  before  their  eyes. 

For  instance,  I  shall  never  forget  his  rendering — that 
is  the  proper  word — of  the  story  of  Elisha  and  the  widow 
with  her  oil.  Moody  sent  her  and  her  boy  around  among 
the  neighbors  after  oil  jars,  in  which  to  store  the  ex- 
pected miraculous  supply. 

"Rat- tat- tat!" 

"  Who's  there  ?  " 

"It's  the  Widow  Benjamin.  Have  you  any  empty 
jars  I  could  borrow  ?  " 

"Why,  yes,  one — and  maybe  two.  Come  right  in, 
neighbor.  And  let  my  Isaac  help  you  carry  them 
home." 


106  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

The  other  folks  in  the  street  begin  to  look  out  of  the 
windows. 

"  Why,  what  is  the  Widow  Benjamin  up  to  ?  She  and 
her  boy  Joseph  have  taken  home  ten  jars  already,  by 
actual  count,  and  if  she  isn't  going  out  after  more  this 
very  minute ! " 

"  Rat-tat- tat !  " 

And  thus  the  vivid  description  proceeded.  Is  there 
any  doubt  that  every  one  in  the  room  carried  away  an 
undying  impression  of  at  least  that  one  Bible  story,  and 
of  the  lesson  of  faith  and  works  which  Mr.  Moody  drew 
appropriately  from  it  ? 

The  Story  of  the  Demoniac— Mr.  Moody's  delight  and 
model,  Christmas  Evans,  the  famous  Welsh  preacher,  had 
the  same  sprightly  imagination.  So  rememberable  were 
his  sermons  that,  though  he  left  no  writings,  they  have 
been  transmitted  to  us  minutely  and  faithfully  from  the 
memories  upon  which  he  stamped  them. 

A  good  example  is  his  sermon  on  the  demoniac  and  the 
swine.  We  are  made  to  see  the  swine  heading  for  the 
cliff,  and  one  of  the  swineherds,  more  alert  than  the  rest, 
cries  out : 

"  What  ails  the  hogs  ?  Look  sharp  there,  boys — keep 
them  in — use  your  whips  !  Why  don't  you  run?  Why, 
I  declare,  one  of  them  has  gone  over  the  cliff !  There, 
there  goes  another !     Drive  them  back,  Tom  ! " 

But  over  they  all  go,  "  black  hog  and  all !  " 

So  the  story  proceeds,  with  an  animated  conversation 
between  the  swineherds  and  the  owner  of  the  herd. 
Then  the  scene  changes.  The  demoniac,  clothed  and  in 
his  right  mind,  is  returning  home.     He  shouts  the  good 


THE  PEDAGOGIC  VALUE  OF  FUN        107 

news  to  every  one  he  meets.  His  children  see  him  in  the 
distance.  They  run  to  tell  their  mother.  The  frightened 
family  lock  the  doors  against  him. 

"  Are  all  the  windows  fastened,  children  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mother." 

"Mary,  my  dear,  come  from  the  window — don't  be 
standing  there." 

"Why,  mother,  I  can  hardly  believe  it  is  father! 
That  man  is  well  dressed." 

Thus  Christmas  Evans  went  on,  picturing  in  his  never- 
to-be-forgotten  way  the  return  of  the  restored  demoniac. 

Well,  we  cannot  all  be  Moodys  or  Christmas  Evanses, 
but  we  can  all  get  some  of  their  life  into  us.  We  can  all 
come  out  of  the  ruts,  and  stay  out.  We  can  all  remem- 
ber that  religion  is  no  mouldy,  dead-and-alive  affair,  but 
a  vivacious,  exhilarating  joy.  We  can  make  the  Sunday- 
school  hour  for  our  scholars  the  brightest  hour  of  their 
week ;  and  in  it  all  we  shall  only  be  illustrating  the  joy 
of  the  Lord,  that  thereby  we  may  win  them  to  its  abid- 
ing strength. 


CIIAPTEK  XV 

A   TEACHER  BY   POST 

When  I  was  a  boy  I  had  many  Sunday-school  teach- 
ers, but  one,  most  faithful  and  long-continued,  was  a 
woman  who  i$  rtmv  in  heaven.  I  do  not  recall  a  word 
she  said  to  me  in  all  the  years  of  her  class  instruction, 
and  yet  she  is  probably  the  most  influential  teacher  I  ever 
had,  in  any  kind  of  school,  because  of  three  letters  she 
wrote  me  at  intervals  of  about  a  year. 

I  was  in  the  town  and  was  seeing  her  every  day. 
There  was  no  apparent  necessity  for  a  letter.  However, 
the  fact  that  she  wrote  those  letters  to  me  made  a  tre- 
mendous impression  upon  me.  They  were  well- written 
letters,  and  inspired  a  respect  for  her  literary  ability. 
They  were  beautifully  neat  and  careful  in  appearance; 
time  had  evidently  been  lavished  upon  them.  They  were 
tender,  urgent,  thoughtful  pleadings  for  me  to  declare 
myself  a  follower  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  join  his 
church. 

"Well,  I  did  not  join  the  church  till  years  afterward  ; 
but  those  letters  never  released  their  hold  upon  me,  and 
were  positive  factors  in  my  decision.  I  do  not  recall 
(more  shame  to  me !)  that  I  ever  replied  to  the  letters,  or 
even  thanked  the  writer.  Perhaps  in  heaven  she  will 
know  of  these  sentences,  and  accept  the  long-delayed  ac- 
knowledgment. 

This  article  is  for  the  purpose  of  urging  upon  Sunday- 

108 


A   TEACHER  BY   POST  109 

school  teachers  just  such  work  as  that.  Eemember, 
a  letter  is  an  event  in  a  child's  life,  a  rare  surprise.  To 
receive  a  letter — actually  by  post — gives  the  child  a  de- 
lightful sense  of  importance.  The  precious  missive  is  sure 
to  be  treasured  ;  its  contents  are  sure  to  be  remembered. 

Nor  even  in  the  case  of  older  persons — adult  classes — 
is  a  letter  despised.  Always  it  is  valued  above  the  same 
words  spoken.  It  is  an  assurance  of  interest  on  the  part 
of  the  writer.  It  is  proof  that  he  is  eager  to  spend  time 
and  strength  to  gain  the  ends  of  the  letter.  "  Talking  is 
easy,"  has  passed  into  a  proverb ;  but  letter- writing — 
everybody  knows  that  that  is  not  easy  ! 

Indeed,  because  so  much  time  and  energy  are  required, 
many  teachers  will  shrink  from  this  suggestion.  And 
yet,  if  you  do  a  very  little  of  this  work  every  day,  you 
will  be  amazed  to  see  how  easily  you  will  do  it,  and  how 
much  of  it  you  will  get  done  in  the  course  of  the  year. 

Much  Depends  Upon  System.— While  taking  all  advan- 
tage of  unexpected  occasions  and  opportunities,  I  should 
not  wait  for  them,  but  I  should  plan  this  letter  writing 
as  far  in  advance  as  possible.  I  should  even  keep  a  little 
ledger,  and  set  up  a  letter-account  with  every  scholar — 
just  when  I  wrote  and  when  I  received  an  answer,  and 
what  the  results  were.  I  should  use  copying  ink,  and 
make  a  press  copy  of  all  my  letters,  to  review  now  and 
then  what  I  had  written  to  each,  ami  to  avoid  duplicat- 
ing. These  copies,  with  whatever  letters  I  received  from 
each  scholar,  I  should  keep  in  separate  pigeon-holes,  one 
to  a  person,  striving  thus  to  give  each  correspondence  the 
individuality  that  these  different  souls  need.  In  your 
oral  teaching  you  must  do  mass  work,  chiefly  ;  but  in  this 


110  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

letter-writing  you  are  doing  just  the  personal  work  that 
is  most  fruitful.  You  can  study  every  scholar  by  him- 
self and  meet  his  own  peculiar  need. 

These  Letters  Need  not  be  Long.— Just  a  line  sometimes 
will  be  as  good  as  a  quire.  "  You  gave  us  a  good  recita- 
tion last  Sunday.  Thank  you  ! "  Can  any  one  doubt 
that  those  ten  words,  received  through  the  mail,  would 
send  a  glow  to  any  scholar's  heart,  and  to  his  head  the 
determination  to  give  good  recitations  forever? 

Yet,  though  the  letters  may  often  be  brief,  they  should 
never  be  careless.  Use  good  stationery  and  good  ink. 
Bring  out  your  best  penmanship.  Always  stamp  them 
and  send  the  letter  by  mail ;  a  letter  sent  around  by  the 
servant  is  not  to  the  child  a  "  real  letter." 

Do  not  write  at  all  until  you  can  put  your  heart  into 
the  letter.  It  is  the  personal  touch  that  counts.  If  the 
missives  are  in  the  least  degree  stiff  or  perfunctory,  if 
they  are  written  from  duty  and  not  desire,  the  sensitive 
recipients  will  feel  it.  Individualize  the  scholars  as  you 
write.  Picture  each  before  you.  Think  of  his  home,  his 
surroundings,  his  likings,  his  tasks,  his  temptations. 
There  is  not  in  all  the  world  a  life  like  his ;  let  there  be 
no  other  letter  like  yours  to  him. 

Of  course  this  implies  that  you  cannot  use  for  this  pur- 
pose the  hektograph  or  other  duplicating  devices.  For 
getting  up  diagrams,  announcements,  lists  of  questions, 
and  similar  pedagogic  details,  the  duplicator  is  indispen- 
sable ;  but  one  letter  written  solely  to  Lucy  Brown  is 
worth  a  dozen  that  Lucy  must  share  with  Susan  Green 
and  Alice  Barber  and  Grace  Colesworthy. 

This  is  not  to  say  that  a  "  round  robin  "  is  not  a  useful 


A  TEACHER  BY   POST  111 

variation  in  your  epistolary  labors.  For  example,  you 
are  absent  on  some  delightful  vacation  trip  and  you  wish 
to  tell  the  whole  class  about  your  experiences,  but  you 
have  no  time  to  write  each  a  long  letter.  In  that  case, 
you  will  place  at  the  head  of  your  account  an  alphabetical 
list  of  the  class,  with  instructions  to  pass  the  letter 
around  in  that  order. 

Seek  and  expect  return  letters.  Ask  questions,  and  in 
other  ways  show  that  a  reply  is  desired.  Be  appreciative 
of  it  when  it  comes.  Often  the  writing  of  this  reply  will 
be  to  the  scholar  the  best  part  of  the  experience. 

I  do  not  mean  to  imply  that  the  letters  should  always, 
or  perhaps  often,  be  entirely  serious.  Bits  of  fun  will 
brighten  wonderfully  your  relations  wTith  your  scholars, 
and  nowhere  more  than  in  these  letters.  Yet  I  should 
tuck  away  in  each  epistle,  however  merry,  some  earnest 
hint  of  eternal  realities. 

I  do  not  mean  to  imply,  either,  that  the  letters  should 
be  regular  or  frequent.  Let  them  not  become  a  burden 
to  you,  or  familiar  commonplaces  to  your  scholars. 
Maintain  the  helpful  element  of  surprise. 

Once  in  a  while  I  should  obtain  the  aid  of  some  one 
else  in  this  letter- writing.  Here  is  a  troublesome  boy, 
and  you  are  a  woman.  You  may  know  some  young  man 
whom  the  lad  admires,  and  a  manly  letter  from  him, 
on  fundamental  matters,  may,  if  you  can  bring  it  about, 
do  more  for  the  boy  than  all  your  teaching;  and  it  will 
be  a  part  of  your  teaching.  Here  is  a  soul  "  almost  per- 
suaded." A  wise,  loving  note  from  the  pastor  or  the 
pastor's  wife  may  give  just  the  needed  spur  to  decision  ; 
and  you  may  obtain  that  note.     Sometimes  it  will  be 


112  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

the  superintendent  that  can  write  most  helpfully ;  some- 
times it  will  not  be  an  adult  at  all,  but  another  boy  or 
girl.  Just  bear  in  mind  this  possibility  of  co-operation 
in  letter-writing.  Here,  as  well  as  everywhere  else,  it  is 
not  good  to  be  alone. 

I  find  myself  writing  in  terms  of  the  boys  and  girls ; 
but  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  all  these  suggestions 
apply  quite  as  forcibly  to  their  elders.  Human  nature 
is  about  the  same,  at  eight  or  eighty. 

Letters  to  Parents. — Indeed,  one  of  the  most  fruitful 
lines  of  work  you  could  follow,  if  you  are  a  teacher  of 
young  folks,  is  the  writing  of  letters  to  their  parents. 
Not  letters  of  complaint — strictures  are  always  better 
spoken  than  written — but  letters  praising  their  children 
when  you  can  praise  them  honestly,  telling  your  plans 
for  the  children,  asking  their  co-operation,  and  suggest- 
ing how  it  may  be  given.  Of  course  these  letters  are 
not  to  take  the  place  of  conversation  with  parents,  but 
they  will  be  more  impressive  than  talk,  with  them  as 
with  their  children. 

In  this  letter-writing  you  will  need  to  guard  against 
any  suspicion  of  favoritism.  Take  an  early  occasion  to 
write  to  all  your  scholars,  and  when  you  write  to  any 
scholar  thereafter,  let  it  be,  so  far  as  possible,  on  an  oc- 
casion evidently  peculiar  to  himself. 

When  to  Write. — What  are  some  of  the  occasions  that 
afford  good  opportunities  for  these  letters  ?  They  are 
very  numerous,  when  once  you  begin  to  look  for  them. 

Anniversaries  always  give  a  good  chance.  There  are 
the  seasons — the  New  Year,  fit  time  for  a  guiding  word, 
a  twelvemonth  motto ;  the  holy  Easter,  that  well  may 


A   TEACHER   BY   POST  113 

prompt  an  invitation  to  the  new  life  in  Christ ;  Children's 
Day,  and  Rally  Sunday,  the  beginning  and  close  of  vaca- 
tion, with  suitable  reminders  of  wise  play  and  wise 
work  ;  Thanksgiving  Day,  with  impulses  for  gratitude  ; 
jubilant  Christmas,  that  should  bring  its  message  of  love 
and  cheer.  Lovely  printed  cards  are  available  for  most 
of  these  festivals  ;  but,  even  if  they  are  used,  the  written 
word  should  not  be  omitted. 

For  individual  work,  however,  more  personal  anniver- 
saries are  generally  to  be  preferred.  Next  Sunday  will 
be  a  year  after  Tom's  joining  the  church.  Why  not  a 
letter  to  him,  reviewing  his  first  year  as  a  professed 
Christian,  full  of  stimulus  for  the  year  to  come?  (Of 
course  you  wrote  him  a  letter  when  he  joined  the 
church.)  Or  it  may  be  just  two  years  ago  that  Ed 
Ballentine  entered  your  class.  lie  has  forgotten  the 
date,  but  a  cordial  letter  from  you  on  that  anniversary 
will  make  membership  in  a  Sunday-school  class  a  vastly 
more  important  affair  in  his  eyes  henceforth.  Birthdays 
are  always  fit  times  for  tender  and  wise  counsels,  and 
your  class  birthday  book  should  be  always  at  hand.  Per- 
haps it  is  ten  years  since  you  became  teacher  of  that  class, 
and  what  more  appropriate  than  a  special  greeting  (which 
may  be  printed  this  time)  to  all  the  present  and  former 
members  ? 

A  Correspondence  Class. — I  include  the  former  mem- 
bers, because  a  Sunday-school  teacher  is  losing  much  of 
the  blessedness  of  this  blessed  relation  unless  he  main- 
tains it  after  his  scholars  have  left  the  class  and  school, 
and  perhaps  gone  out  into  the  busy  world.  I  know  a 
teacher  of  a  class  of  servant  girls.     They,  of  course, 


114  SUNDAY-SCIIOOL   PROBLEMS 

make  many  changes  in  abode,  but  she  follows  them  up. 
Tli us  she  has  formed  what  she  calls  a  correspondence 
class ;  it  has  twenty-nine  members,  and  each  of  them  re- 
ceives a  letter  from  her  once  a  quarter. 

There  are  other  occasions,  many  of  them,  that  will 
furnish  openings  for  fruitful  letters.  There  are  times  of 
sorrow,  when  loved  ones  die,  when  sickness  comes,  or 
some  disappointment  or  loss.  Be  ready  then  with  a 
heartening  word — not  only  spoken,  with  the  meaningful 
pressure  of  the  hand,  but  written,  for  reading  over  and 
over.  There  are  times  of  joy,  more  likely  to  be  neglected  : 
The  young  man  has  been  appointed  valedictorian,  has  ob- 
tained a  situation,  has  been  admitted  to  the  firm  ;  the 
young  woman  has  read  a  charming  essay  at  the  literary 
club,  or  perhaps  her  marriage  engagement  is  announced. 
Why  should  not  such  occasions  be  signalized  by  letters 
of  congratulation  ? 

Sometimes  the  occasion  of  the  letter  must  not  be 
stated,  as  when  you  realize  that  one  of  your  scholars 
is  exposed  to  sore  temptation,  and  you  must  reach  out 
a  hand  to  him,  though  in  the  dark.  Then  you  will  im- 
provise an  occasion  from  your  own  life.  It  will  be  a  re- 
cent experience  of  yours,  perhaps,  which  you  want  to 
share  with  him.  It  may  be  a  bit  of  your  reading,  which 
you  really  must  pass  along.  It  may  be  a  good  poem, 
which  has  just  come  to  you  with  new  force,  and  you 
know  his  fondness  for  poetry.  At  such  times  you  will 
be  profoundly  grateful  that  you  have  established  the 
habit  of  writing  letters  to  your  scholars,  so  that  such  a 
message  comes  naturally  from  you  to  him. 

In  the  main,  of  course,  the  occasions  for  your  letter- 


A   TEACHER   BY    POST  115 

writing  will  be  connected  with  the  ordinary  progress  of 
class  work.  You  will  wish  to  give  praise  for  a  lesson 
well  learned.  You  will  wish  to  make  assignments  of 
special  work,  and  you  know  that  a  request  by  mail  will 
be  better  heeded  than  one  by  mouth.  You  will  want  to 
impress  some  thought  of  the  last  lesson,  or  say  some 
word  for  which  there  was  no  time  in  the  class.  You 
will  be  away  on  vacation,  or  they  will  be  absent  on 
theirs,  and  you  wish  to  maintain  the  continuity  of  the 
class.  You  will  be  sending  messages  to  sickrooms,  often 
with  little  gifts.  Best  and  chiefest  of  all,  you  will  want 
to  draw  your  scholars  to  Christ,  and  because  of  their 
diffidence,  or  perhaps  because  of  your  own,  you  will 
choose  to  break  the  ice  by  a  letter,  which  will  certainly 
be  followed  up  by  personal  conversations. 

I  have  by  no  means  exhausted  this  fruitful  theme,  but 
I  have  written  enough  to  exhibit  its  wide  possibilities. 
The  teacher's  art  is  manifold,  and  the  best  teacher  is  the 
one  that  is  eager  to  teach  in  every  way.  He  will  follow 
the  example  of  that  superb  teacher,  Paul,  and  be  made 
all  things — letter-writer  and  all — to  all  his  scholars, 
that  by  all  means  he  may  save  some. 


CHAPTEE  XVI 

THE  SUPERINTENDENT'S  BLACKBOARD 

IMAGINE  a  secular  school  without  a  blackboard! 
How  constantly,  in  our  public  schools  and  colleges,  this 
invaluable  pedagogic  aid  is  used,  adding  eve-gate  to  ear- 
gate,  and  doubling  the  access  to  the  pupils'  minds !  If 
our  Bible  schools  are  not  to  fall  behind  in  educational 
power,  they  also  must  use  the  blackboard.  And  not 
only  must  there  be  one  in  front  of  the  school,  ready 
to  carry  its  silent  but  forcible  messages  simultaneously 
to  every  brain,  but  each  classroom  must  be  furnished  as 
well ;  or,  if  your  classes  are  still  jumbled  together  in  the 
general  pandemonium  of  one  "  Sunday-school  room," 
none  the  less  should  each  class  have  either  a  blackboard 
or  its  equivalent  in  an  eaormous  paper  tablet. 

The  best  blackboard  for  the  superintendent  is  on  the 
whole  a  stationary  one,  fastened  to  the  wall  in  front  of 
the  school.  It  is  conspicuous,  is  always  in  position,  and 
is  never  in  the  way.  It  should  run  in  grooves,  being 
supported  by  weights,  so  that  any  one  working  at  it  may 
push  it  up  as  he  writes.  It  is  best  to  have  two  boards, 
one  back  of  the  other,  acting  as  counterpoises,  so  that  as 
one  moves  up  the  other  moves  down.  Thus  a  design  or 
inscription  may  be  placed  upon  the  board  behind,  to  be 
disclosed  at  the  proper  minute  by  shoving  up  the  board 
in  front.     Such  a  blackboard  has  proved  very  satisfac- 

116 


THE   SUPERINTENDENT'S   BLACKBOARD  117 

tory  in  our  school,  and  any  good  carpenter  could  make 
one. 

If  for  any  reason  this  is  impracticable,  a  portable  board 
may  be  made  by  almost  any  one,  or  may  be  bought  for 
from  two  dollars  up.  For  drawing,  the  best  is  a  black- 
board that  is  not  a  board  at  all,  but  simply  a  slate-sur- 
faced canvas,  stretched  tight,  but  giving  beneath  the 
chalk  sufficiently  to  produce  the  most  effective  shading. 

While  few  Sunday  schools  have  blackboards  at  all,  of 
those  few  scarcely  one  uses  the  blackboard  as  much  as  it 
should,  or  as  wisely.  Blackboard  work  is  an  art  in  it- 
self, and  like  all  arts  it  requires  earnest  and  persistent 
study. 

*This  is  not  to  say  that  the  effects  should  be  intricate. 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  the  simple,  straightforward  black- 
board work  that  is  the  most  attractive — outline  drawing, 
rapidly  made  in  the  presence  of  the  school,  and  clear, 
bold  lettering. 

Colored  chalk  may  be  used  with  good  results,  but  only 
the  brightest  of  reds  and  yellows  for  what  you  want  to 
be  seen  from  the  back  of  the  room.  I  have  seen  black- 
board work  in  blue  or  green  that  was  practically  invisi- 
ble twenty  feet  off. 

Indeed,  the  back  of  the  room  must  be  your  goal,  for 
eye-gate  as  well  as  ear-gate.  Whatever  you  write,  print, 
or  draw  on  the  blackboard  must  be  seen  from  that  view- 
point, and  without  eye-strain,  or  you  have  bungled  at 
your  work. 

For  what  will  the  superintendent  use  his  blackboard  ? 

In  the  first  place,  sometimes  if  not  always  he  will  use 
it  for  the  routine  notices  of  attendance  and  collection ; 


118  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

only,  he  will  not  use  it  in  any  routine  fashion.     For  in- 
stance, he  may  print,  with  vim  :  — 

Tresent    last   Sunday,  4>3L 
Vfesent   tkis   Sunday  •       ZlO. 

LVasii  YOUf{  inuttt 

Or,  if  the  collection  is  falling  off,  he  may  prod  the 
school  thus :  — 

Collection  -to-day, 
—         from       t  O  I      scholars 

OM/y        16?    cents. 
ftOOM    FO*    IMPROVE** EWT  f 

Or,  if  congratulations  are  in  order,  he  will  deliver  them 
thus : — 

COMING  UP! 

(jOOD! 

Or,  if  he  wants  to  remind  the  scholars  of  the  mission- 
ary object  for  which  they  are  giving,  he  may  use  his  best 
flourishes  on  the  following:  — 

UcnL  <uuKf  4f.  63  X**daj. 

frlAfuitiJ   AfwLcC. 

Two-Minute  Talks. — The  talkative  superintendent  is 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT'S   BLACKBOARD  119 

so  unmitigated  a  nuisance  that  I  hesitate  even  to  sug. 
gest  the  possible  value  of  a  two-minute  blackboard  talk 
by  him  at  the  close  of  the  lesson  hour.  The  two  min- 
utes are  so  likely  to  grow  to  ten  !  But  if  the  superin- 
tendent will  keep  his  watch  in  his  hand  and  stop  short, 
no  matter  where  he  is,  at  the  expiration  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  seconds,  he  may  place  an  effective  "  snapper  " 
upon  the  lesson. 

To  that  end  a  blackboard  design  of  some  sort  is  espe- 
cially useful,  both  because  it  may  largely  take  the  place 
of  a  speech,  and  because  so  much  truth  may  be  presented 
in  a  form  so  portable.  No  programme  for  this  work 
can  be  laid  down.  A  man's  own  ideas  are  always  the 
best — for  him,  provided  he  enlarges  and  fertilizes  his 
ideas  by  careful  and  frequent  study  of  the  ideas  of 
others. 

Various  Plans. — Sometimes  the  superintendent  will 
place  on  the  blackboard,  before  the  beginning  of  the  ses- 
sion, three  questions  on  the  lesson.  lie  will  tell  the 
school  to  consider  those  questions  during  the  lesson  hour, 
and  be  ready  to  answer  them  at  the  close. 

Sometimes  he  will  simply  print  on  the  board  a  Bible 
verse  or  an  original  sentence  summarizing  the  teachings 
of  the  lesson.  He  will  cover  this  with  a  sheet  of  paper, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  recitations  he  will  remove  the 
paper  and  have  the  school  read  the  sentence  in  concert, 
several  times. 

This  covering  of  a  design,  in  whole  or  in  part,  by 
paper  pinned  on,  is  a  useful  device.  It  may  be  employed 
to  add  interest  to  a  picture.  For  example,  you  may 
draw  Elisha,  with  the  horses  and  chariots  on  the  moun- 


120  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

tain    round  about;    but   the  latter   may    be   hidden  by 
pieces  of  paper  until  the  proper  time  for  disclosure. 

The  prevalent  use  of  acrostics  is  to  be  condemned,  ex- 
cept in  the  rather  rare  instances  in  which  the  acrostics 
are  really  bright  and  pointed,  worth  remembering  and 
possible  to  remember.  Most  of  them  are  merely  fortui- 
tous alliterations,  teaching  no  lesson  whatever.  For  ex- 
am pie,  this,  of  which  I  myself  am  the  proud  author: — 

Saul  Qc  cinds 

eeics  asses   ^Uni£. 

That  is  pretty  bad,  but  not  one  whit  worse  than  thou- 
sands that  are  solemnly  set  forth  as  condensations  of 
Scriptural  truth.  They  titillate  the  fancy,  but  they  do 
not  enlighten  the  mind.  They  trifle  with  majestic  senti- 
ments, and  reduce  them  to  the  jingle  of  the  nursery: 
"The  Jack  and  the  Jolick  and  the  Jamboree." 

If  I  may  draw  once  more  from  my  own  devices,  I 
would  say  that  the  following  arrangement  of  letters 
comes  nearer  my  ideal  of  blackboard  work  along  this 
line.  The  lesson  deals  with  the  rich  young  man  who 
came  to  Jesus,  with  the  house  on  the  sand,  or  some 
similar  theme.  The  superintendent  prints  in  a  vertical 
line  the  letters  of  the  word  "  Christ."  He  then  says  a 
few  words  about  the  true  wealth,  urging  the  scholars  to 
obtain  it  from  Christ.  The  "  richest  "man  is  the  man 
who  has  "Christ."  As  he  talks,  the  superintendent  ex- 
tends arrows  from  the  letters  toward  the  right,  repeating 
each  letter  at  the  end  of  its  arrow,  until  the  diagram 
looks  like  this  : — 


THE   SUPERINTENDENT'S   BLACKBOARD  121 


The  fact  that  an  E  must  be  supplied  would  greatly  dis- 
turb a  virtuoso,  but  does  not  trouble  me  in  the  least. 
What  I  want  is  to  put  a  truth  in  a  simple,  rememberable, 
graphic  form  ;  and  that  I  have  done. 

A  historical  chart  of  great  value  is  a  simple  upright 
line  drawn  on  the  left  of  the  blackboard,  and  divided 
into  decades  or  centuries,  to  cover  the  period  studied 
during  the  quarter.  Write  the  names  of  the  characters 
in  the  proper  places  as  you  study  them,  and  without  a 
word  your  line  will  become  a  historical  backbone  for  the 
quarter  in  the  mind  of  every  spectator. 

When  you  begin  to  study  Christ's  life,  inspire  the 
scholars  with  an  ambition  to  learn  in  chronological  order 
all  the  seventy-five  (more  or  less)  recorded  events  in  that 
life.  Make  a  numbered  list  of  them  on  the  black- 
board as  you  proceed  in  the  study.  Review  them  every 
Sunday,  covering  them  with  a  piece  of  paper,  and 
not  disclosing  each  until  it  has  been  named  by  the 
school. 

Blackboard  Maps. — Often  a  map  is  the  best  occupant 
of  the  superintendent's  blackboard.  It  should  be  very 
distinct,  but  merely  outlines.     You   might   call   out  a 


122  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

scholar  and  ask  him  to  mark  the  situation  of  whatever 
place  is  the  scene  of  the  lesson ;  then,  of  the  scene  of 
the  last  lesson.  You  may  mark  places  and  ask  the  school 
to  name  them.  When  events  are  closely  connected,  you 
may  bring  in  the  serial  interest.  For  instance,  lines  of 
various  colors  may  represent  the  various  journeys  of 
Christ,  prolonged  as  the  lessons  proceed ;  or  the  routes 
followed  by  Paul,  or  Moses,  or  Abraham.  Instead  of  a 
chalk  line,  you  may  use  pins,  connected  by  strings  of  dif- 
ferent colors. 

Blackboard  Drawings. — The  ability  to  draw  is  not,  as 
has  been  shown,  an  essential  to  the  successful  use  of  the 
blackboard,  and  yet  it  is  a  great  aid.  No  elaborate 
drawing  is  needed,  nor  has  the  superintendent,  in  his  two 
or  three  minutes,  time  for  it.  One  of  the  brightest 
blackboard  talks  ever  given  was  upon  the  parable  of  the 
good  Samaritan,  and  was  illustrated  merely  by  a  square, 
with  two  parallel  lines  winding  diagonally  across  it  for 
the  hill-road,  while  a  short  line  represented  the  prostrate 
traveler,  and  upright  lines  in  various  places  stood  for  the 
other  characters  of  the  story. 

Similarly,  a  circle  is  a  sufficient  Pool  of  Bethesda,  a 
short  horizontal  line  amply  sets  forth  the  impotent  man, 
a  few  Vertical  strokes  will  be  his  friends,  and  a  scarlet 
upright  will  be  the  Saviour.  The  various  steps  of  Saul's 
progress  and  decline  may  be  pictured  with  clearness  and 
point  by  an  outline  flight  of  steps,  rising,  falling,  and 
stopping  abruptly  as  the  king's  life  plunges  into  the 
darkness  of  a  suicide's  death.  All  Bible  stories  may  be 
depicted  in  this  simple  way.  The  children's  vivid  imagi- 
nation will  fill  out  these  scanty  lines,  and  make  them  as 


THE   SUPERINTENDENT'S   BLACKBOARD  123 

significant  as  a  cartoon  by  Raphael.  They  are  far  more 
helpful,  because  far  less  misleading,  than  more  elaborate 
attempts,  such,  for  instance,  as  a  watering-pot  in  action 
which  I  once  saw  drawn  to  represent — showers  of  bless- 
ing! 

In  conclusion,  let  me  emphasize  the  necessity  of  brevity. 
The  superintendent's  blackboard  will  be  a  nuisance  and 
not  an  assistance  if  he  does  not  confine  himself  strictly 
to  two  or  three  minutes, — merely  the  keystone  word 
that  binds  together  the  impression  of  the  lesson  hour.  If 
in  any  of  the  ways  I  have  indicated,  and  all  of  them  in 
turn,  he  can  accomplish  this,  the  dingy  surface  of  his 
blackboard  will  become  the  glowing  heart  of  the  school. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE   SUNDAY   SCHOOL  AS   AN   AVOCATION 

Some  persons  take  up  Sunday-school  work  as  a  mere 
temporary  employment;  and  of  course  they  get  from  it, 
at  the  best,  only  transient  and  paltry  results. 

Others  enter  upon  it  as  a  bit  of  fun.  Their  scholars, 
perhaps,  enjoy  with  them  the  novel  experience  ;  but  their 
labor  is  as  evanescent  as  a  summer  holiday. 

Still  others  assume  the  teacher's  task  as  a  disagreeable 
duty.  They  clinch  their  teeth  and  go  at  it  in  bulldog 
fashion,  worrying  all  pleasure  and  profit  out  of  it,  until 
the  task  is  dead. 

And  yet  others  are  personally  aggrieved  when  asked 
to  take  a  Sunday-school  class,  and  if  in  a  manner  forced 
to  comply,  they  nurse  the  wrong  in  a  rebellious  heart. 
Small  wonder  that  their  scholars  are  rebellious  also. 

A  Life  Task.— But  there  are  some — happy  is  the  Sun- 
day-school cause  in  that  there  are  many — who  pursue 
their  Sunday-school  task  in  a  far  different  spirit.  To 
them  it  is  a  life-task,  a  glorious  life-task  ;  second,  neces- 
sarily, in  their  time  and  thought  and  energy,  to  their  sec- 
ular employment,  but  not  second  in  their  eager  devotion. 
In  other  words,  there  are  many  to  whom  the  Sunday 
school  has  become  an  avocation. 

An  avocation  is  the  side  calling  which  runs  parallel  to 

124 


THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   AS    AN    AVOCATION         125 

the  main  calling,  as  a  delightful  country  lane  lies  parallel 
to  the  beaten  country  highway.  One  flees  to  it  with  a 
sense  of  relief  from  the  noise  and  bustle.  A  well-loaded 
wain  may  pass  along  it,  but  leisurely.  The  cherry  blos- 
soms hatig  over  it,  and  the  primrose  peeps  from  the 
banks. 

An  avocation  is  not  a  luxury,  it  is  a  necessity.  It 
affords  that  variety  which  is  often  more  than  the  spice  of 
life,  being  its  flexile  water;  without  it  life  grows  parched 
and  withered. 

An  avocation  is  not  a  mere  sport,  though  it  is  a  recrea- 
tion— it  re-creates.  Indeed,  it  must  have  substantial  aims 
and  worthy  processes,  or  it  cannot  withdraw  an  earnest 
man  from  his  routine  employments  and  give  him  that 
change  of  activity  which  is  the  most  profitable  and  enjoy- 
able of  rests. 

To  an  avocation  one  is  called,  just  as  much  as  to  a  voca- 
tion. It  is  an  error  only  less  serious  to  choose  the  wrong 
avocation  than  to  select  the  life-work  that  God  does  not 
design  for  us.  To  certain  avocations,  as  to  certain  voca- 
tions, men  are  called  by  the  combined  voices  of  oppor- 
tunity, duty,  ability,  desire,  and  conscience, — some  or  all 
of  them.  In  those  they  will  be  successful,  and  nowhere 
else. 

Now  if  all  this  is  true,  it  makes  a  vast  difference  in 
what  way  one  takes  up  his  Sunday-school  work.  If  God 
intends  the  task  for  you  at  all,  he  intends  it  as  an  avoca- 
tion, not  as  a  jest,  a  burden,  an  experiment,  or  an  affront. 
And  the  only  way  to  succeed  in  anything — Sunday- 
school  work  or  anything  else — is  to  do  it  in  the  right 
spirit.     A  task  is  half  determined  by  your  impression  of 


126  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

it.  Pond-like,  it  takes  its  color  from  the  mental  sky  that 
broods  above  it. 

An  Ideal  Avocation. — And  Sunday-school  work,  if  you 
take  it  up  as  your  God-given  avocation,  is  an  ideal  one. 
Those  that  undertake  it  in  the  wrong  spirit  (To  not  see 
how  that  can  be.  "  I  always  come  home  from  my  class 
with  a  headache,"  sighs  one.  "Those  boys  will  be  the 
death  of  me  ! "  groans  another.  u  I  don't  see  why  /  have 
to  teach  that  class,  when  Miss  Jones  could  do  it  just  as 
well  as  not,"  frets  a  third.  They  do  not  understand  how 
the  Sunday  school  can  afford  an  avocation. 

But  the  true  teacher  understands !  There  are  trials  in 
her  path,  to  be  sure,  but  they  are  swallowed  up  of  the 
joys.  Her  Sunday-school  work  is  not  a  depression,  but  an 
exhilaration.  It  does  not  weary  her,  it  actually  rests  her. 
She  does  not  dread  it,  but  anticipates  it  with  pleasure. 
She  does  not  come  away  from  it  with  a  headache,  but 
with  brains  pleasantly  excited  and  a  warm  glow  at  the 
heart.  She  dreams  of  it.  It  has  become  one  of  her  most 
cherished  ambitions.  She  has  no  thought  of  giving  it  up, 
ever.     In  short,  it  is  her  avocation. 

Very  likely  this  feeling  has  not  come  at  once.  Very 
likely  at  first  she  was  called  to  her  avocation  only  by  the 
voices  of  opportunity,  ability,  duty,  and  conscience,  the 
voice  of  desire  being  silent  or  opposing.  But  as  she  has 
persisted  honestly  in  the  work,  it  has  become  her  delight. 

The  Sunday  school  is  an  ideal  avocation  because  it  so 
nobly  enlarges  life.  It  gives  broad  views  of  time  and 
events.  It  acquaints  us  with  the  richest  history  and  biog- 
raphy. It  introduces  us  to  the  loftiest  philosophy. 
Things  the  angels  themselves  desire  to  look  into  are  its 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  AS  AN  AVOCATION         127 

common  themes  of  study.  A  knowledge  of  the  Bible  is  a 
liberal  education.  "  Fear  the  man  of  one  book  " — when 
that  one  is  the  Book. 

Moreover,  the  avocation  of  Sunday-school  teaching  will 
further  your  vocation,  whatever  it  is ;  and  this  not  merely 
through  the  wide  reach  of  information  into  which  it  will 
lead  you,  though  that  is  much,  and  the  quickening  and 
uplifting  of  your  mind,  though  that  is  more.  The  art  of 
teaching  is  the  art  of  self-command  and  the  command  of 
others,  the  art  of  tact,  the  art  of  impressing  yourself — 
what  you  know  and  think — upon  the  lives  around  you. 
And  this,  as  any  successful  business  man  understands,  is 
the  very  essence  of  success  in  a  worldly  calling. 

It  is  a  still  further  proof  of  the  value  of  Sunday-school 
teaching  as  an  avocation  that  it  is  helped  by  your  voca- 
tion, whatever  it  is.  The  two  fit  in  together,  as  they 
should.  Your  teaching  is  vitalized  by  your  daily  work. 
From  that  work  you  draw  your  most  effective  illustra- 
tions. In  that  work  you  test  the  truths  you  teach,  and 
you  carry  the  verification  back  to  the  Sunday  school. 
St.  Paul  wove  many  a  matchless  chapter  of  the  Bible  as 
he  wove  his  tent-cloth  ;  and  "  he  that  will  not  work  shall 
not  eat,"  of  spiritual  or  material  food.  The  best  Sunday- 
school  teachers,  other  things  being  equal,  are  the  busiest 
men  and  women  of  affairs. 

Make  it  a  Business. — Making  Sunday-school  teaching  a 
vocation  means  making  a  business  of  it,  though  a  subordi- 
nate business.  Time  must  be  given  to  it,  generously,  and 
as  regularly  as  to  the  business  that  affords  you  a  liveli- 
hood. In  the  definite  planning  for  the  week  which  the 
wise  always  do,  you  will  plan  for  a  little  Sunday-school 


128  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

study  every  day,  and  for  each  day  its  definite  portion — 
the  Scripture  basis  for  one  day,  the  facts  of  place  and 
time  another  day,  commentaries  the  third,  illustrations, 
applications,  teaching  plans,  review,  for  the  remaining 
days.  In  the  same  way  you  will  plan  out  your  year's 
work,  as  a  farmer  plans  his  plantings  or  a  merchant  his 
purchases  and  sales. 

Nothing  will  be  left  to  haphazard,  not  even  the  place  of 
study.  It  will  be  the  cars,  during  the  half-hour  to  town 
and  the  half-hour  back  again.  Or  it  will  be  in  the 
kitchen  while  you  are  waiting  for  the  dinner  to  cook. 
Or  it  will  be  in  your  bedroom,  the  first  thing  every 
morning. 

And  in  addition  to  the  regular  time  and  place,  if  Sun- 
day-school work  has  really  become  your  avocation,  your 
thoughts  will  turn  to  it  instinctively  and  pleasantly  in 
moments  of  leisure  at  any  time  and  place.  It  will  be 
"  on  your  mind,"  as  tennis  is  on  one's  mind  if  one  is  a 
tennis  enthusiast,  or  as  the  chess-lover  carries  with  him 
the  latest  fascinating  problem.  You  will  always  have 
with  you,  in  some  conveniently  portable  form,  the  lesson 
text  for  the  coming  Sabbath,  or  even  for  the  entire  year. 
You  will  always  carry  a  little  blank  book,  in  which  to 
jot  down  Sunday-school  ideas  or  plans  or  thoughts  on 
coming  lessons,  or  the  illustrations  that  are  so  easily 
gathered  but  so  easily  lost  if  they  are  not  fastened  at 
once. 

Learn  All  You  Can  About  It.— There  is  no  permanent 
zeal  without  knowledge,  in  an  avocation,  as  certainly  in 
a  vocation.  If  you  are  truly  making  the  Sunday  school 
your  life-work,  you  will  be  eager  to  learn  from  books  and 


THE   SUNDAY   SCHOOL    AS   AN   AVOCATION         129 

periodicals  all  you  can  about  it.  You  will  subscribe  to 
one  or  two  journals  of  instruction  for  teachers,  just  as  the 
golfer  or  hunter  has  his  magazine  for  outdoor  sports. 
You  will  read  the  many  wise  and  helpful  volumes  on 
Sunday-school  teaching  that  recent  years  have  brought 
us,  and  you  will  collect  a  little  library  of  them  for  con- 
stant study. 

Especially,  you  will  seek  to  peruse  that  open  book, 
the  experiences  of  other  teachers  whom  you  may  meet. 
You  will  not  miss  a  convention  of  Sunday-school  work- 
ers, if  you  can  help  it,  any  more  than  a  genuine  yachts- 
man would  miss  a  regatta.  You  will  take  a  Sunday  now 
and  then  to  visit  some  other  school  and  observe  the 
methods  there.  You  will  drop  in  on  the  secular  schools, 
and  learn  most  profitably  from  their  ways  of  doing 
things.  You  will  watch  the  most  successful  teachers  in 
your  own  school  also,  and  will  copy  their  methods.  You 
will  arrange  jolly  suppers  and  evening  gatherings  for 
your  co-workers,  for  acquaintanceship  and  for  the  shar- 
ing of  ideas.  One  of  the  joys  of  an  avocation  is  the  com- 
panionship with  the  pleasantest  people  which  it  brings, 
and  in  this  particular  no  avocation  of  them  all  is  to  be 
ranked  above  Sunday-school  work. 

Grow  in  Your  Work Many  teachers  in  our  Sunday 

schools  tire  of  their  task  because  they  are  not  growing  in 
it.  Knowledge  is  not  enough  for  enthusiasm  ;  it  must  be 
expanding  knowledge.  Every  year  should  have  some 
definite  plan  for  advance,  some  programme  of  improve- 
ment. The  live  worker  is  eternally  dissatisfied.  Certain 
months  of  normal  study  should  be  a  part  of  every  Sun- 
day-school year.     Now  it  will  take  up  Bible  geography  ; 


130  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

again,  Bible  history  in  outline;  during  other  years,  the 
story  of  the  manuscripts,  reviews  of  the  books,  biograph- 
ical studies,  the  study  of  some  era,  Bible  botany,  the 
doctrines,  miracles.  Let  the  aim  be  clear-cut,  and  not 
too  ambitious  for  sure  attainment.  Allow  no  year  to 
close  without  a  sense  of  positive  gain. 

Be  a  Sunday-school  Specialist. — And  yet,  with  all  this 
ardent  advance  into  the  wide  fields  of  Bible  lore,  in  his 
practice  the  successful  teacher  will  be  a  specialist. 
Choose  the  grade  for  which  you  are  best  adapted.  It 
may  need  some  experimentation  to  discover  whether  you 
are  best  with  older  scholars  or  younger,  boys  or  girls  or 
men  or  women.  But  having  settled  that  point,  hold  to 
the  one  line  of  work.  If  it  is  the  tiniest  children,  insist 
on  their  leaving  your  class  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to 
read.  If  it  is  boys,  be  watchful  for  the  time  when  they 
should  go  on  to  the  young  men's  class. 

And  Polish  Your  Specialty. — Learn  all  there  is  to  know 
about  kindergarten  methods  of  the  Sunday  school,  if  that 
is  your  chosen  field  ;  or  about  adult  classes,  if  it  is  there 
that  you  shine.  A  man  who  canoes  a  little,  bowls  a  lit- 
tle, cycles  a  little,  plays  chess  a  little,  and  paints  a  little, 
will  have  no  ardor  for  anything.  Do  your  one  thing  in 
the  Sunday  school,  and  do  it  supremely  well. 

Have  regard,  that  is,  to  the  vast  value  of  cumulative 
experience.  That  is  the  chief  reason  why  the  Sunday 
school  is  to  be  made  a  field  of  effort  for  life.  As  class 
after  class  comes  under  your  influence,  imbibes  your 
ideas,  is  strengthened  by  your  character  and  fired  by 
your  faith,  how  gloriously  the  totals  rise !  Men  and 
women  by  hundreds  look  back  upon  the  faithful  Sunday- 


THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   AS  AN   AVOCATION         131 

school  teacher  with  a  grateful  affection  they  rarely  feel 
even  for  their  teachers  of  public  school  or  college.  "  It 
was  he,  it  was  she,"  they  remember,  "  that  taught  me  the 
way  of  life,  that  introduced  me  to  my  Saviour  and  to  the 
concerns  of  eternity."  And  theirs  will  be  an  eternal 
gratitude. 

The  Glorious  Rewards. — Ah  !  what  avocation  presents 
rewards  comparable  to  this  ?  The  philatelist  collects 
stamps,  but  the  Sunday-school  teacher  stamps  the  divine 
image  upon  deathless  souls.  The  biblomaniac  gathers 
first  editions,  but  the  Sunday-school  teacher  presides  at 
the  making  of  first  editions  of  men.  The  art  amateur 
searches  out  the  earliest  impressions  of  great  etchings, 
but  the  Sunday-school  teacher  himself  makes  the  first 
impressions  of  imperishable  works  of  art.  The  camera 
enthusiast  transfers  to  paper  the  rarest  glimpses  of  na- 
ture, but  the  Sunday-school  teacher  exposes  to  the  heav- 
ens the  lens  of  a  human  soul,  and  forms  a  picture  that 
will  endure  after  all  photographs  have  faded  away. 
When  the  laurel  wreaths  are  awarded  on  the  Recogni- 
tion Day,  none  will  be  greener  than  his,  or  more  beauti- 
ful in  the  eyes  of  the  angels. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

HOW   TO    BUILD    UP   THE   ADULT   BIBLE   CLASS 

No  defense  should  anywhere  be  needed  for  the  motto, 
"  All  the  church  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  all  the  Sun- 
day school  in  the  church."  Indeed,  all  Christians  will 
admit  that  no  one  ever  grows  too  old  for  Bible-study,  or 
becomes  so  wise  that  he  is  not  likely  to  gain  much  from 
Bible-study  with  other  Christians. 

The  rub  comes  in  the  practical  working  out  of  this 
commonly  confessed  truth.  The  children — we  can  send 
them  to  the  Bible  school ;  but  what  impulsion  can  force 
us  to  send  ourselves  ?  There  are  so  many  church  serv- 
ices, anyway.  And  they  are  so  long.  And  we  are  so 
tired.     Oh,  hum  ! 

Thus  it  comes  about  that  the  adult  department  is  by 
far  the  most  poorly  attended,  in  proportion  to  its  possi- 
bilities, of  all  our  Sunday-school  departments.  How  to 
build  up  the  adult  Bible  class  is  everywhere  the  most 
pressing  of  Sunday-school  problems — pressing,  that  is, 
unless  it  is  ignored  altogether,  and  the  Bible  school  of 
the  church  becomes  a  Bible  kindergarten.  To  help  solve 
that  urgent  problem,  and  add  to  the  Sunday  school  its 
most  important  element,  is  the  ambitious  purpose  of 
this  chapter. 

The  Class  Room. — Perhaps  the  first  essential  for  a 
good  adult  Bible  class  is  a  place  to  put  it.     Theoretically, 

132 


HOW  TO   BUILD   UP  THE  ADULT  BIBLE   CLASS       133 

the  attention  of  adults  is  more  easily  held  and  retained 
than  that  of  children.  Practically,  if  you  want  a  strong 
and  growing  adult  class, — set  them  off  by  themselves ! 
This  necessity,  proved  by  experience,  arises  largely,  I 
think,  from  the  need  of  overcoming  the  popular  im- 
pression that  the  Sunday  school,  after  all,  is  a  childish 
institution. 

It  may  not  be  easy  to  find  a  room  for  the  adult  Bible 
class.  Many  thousands  of  Sunday  schools  are  obliged  to 
meet  in  the  church  auditorium.  But  generally  it  will  be 
possible  to  carry  out  for  the  older  folks  a  plan  often  used 
for  the  children,  and  make  a  temporary  room  with  cur- 
tain partitions,  supported  by  uprights  that  rise  from 
sockets  in  the  floor.  A  method  very  likely  to  be  still 
more  acceptable,  and  yet  one  rarely  tried,  is  the  use  for 
the  adult  class  of  some  private  house  near  the  church, 
where  one  large  room,  or  two  connecting  rooms,  will 
make  an  ideal  meeting-place. 

But  whatever  mode  of  separation  from  the  school  is 
adopted,  the  older  members  should  join  with  the  young- 
sters in  the  opening  exercises,  that  they  may  lend  their 
visible  influence  to  the  school.  Nothing  will  so  magnify 
the  boys'  and  girls'  respect  for  Bible-study  as  the  sight 
of  a  goodly  number  of  men  and  women  engaged  in  the 
same  pursuit.  For  the  sake  of  this  example  it  is  also 
desirable  that  the  adult  class  join  the  school  in  the  clos- 
ing exercises,  though  they  will  need  more  time  on  the 
lesson  than  the  rest  of  the  school,  and  should  be  privi- 
leged to  take  it. 

The  Teacher.— If  a  suitable  meeting-place  is  the  first 
essential  for  a  successful  adult  class,  the  chief  essential 


134  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

is  a  good  teacher.  And  here  men  often  make  the  mis- 
take of  thinking  that  no  one  but  a  remarkable  Bible  stu- 
dent can  teach  an  adult  class  well.  On  the  contrary,  the 
class  may  well  contain  many  a  man  or  woman  who 
knows  more  about  the  Bible  than  the  teacher,  though  of 
course  the  teacher's  scholarship  must  be  such  as  the  class 
will  at  least  respect.  But  the  teacher  must  be  an  able 
executive.  He  must  be  skilled  in  conducting  debates, 
tactful  in  managing  people,  winsome  in  drawing  out 
knowledge  and  opinions,  decisive  in  closing  discussions, 
in  stating  conclusions,  and  in  guiding  the  deliberations  of 
the  class.     He  must  be  a  pedagogical  general. 

For  example,  in  some  of  the  most  successful  adult 
classes  about  which  I  have  learned,  the  teacher  himself 
does  very  little  talking.  He  is  an  enthusiastic  and  in- 
spiring presiding  officer.  A  week  in  advance  he  has 
made  his  assignments.  Mrs.  Tillinghast  will  give  a 
summary  of  the  events  intervening  between  the  last 
lesson  and  the  present.  Dr.  Hopkins  will  say  a  few 
words  introductory  of  the  lesson,  its  central  theme,  its 
subordinate  themes,  a  sort  of  prospectus.  Miss  Gilmore 
will  give  the  facts  regarding  the  time  of  the  lesson,  and 
Mr.  Gravenhurst  will  describe  the  scene  in  which  the 
lesson  is  located.  Mrs.  Roper  will  bring  up  points  from 
the  parallel  passage  in  another  book.  Major  Dayton 
will  present  a  synopsis  of  an  important  magazine  article 
bearing  on  the  lesson.  Certain  difficult  phrases  will  be 
referred  to  Professor  Goodrich  for  an  explanation,  and 
certain  Oriental  customs  to  Mrs.  Goodrich.  Mr.  Daven- 
port will  conduct  a  discussion  of  the  main  teachings  of 
the  lesson,  and  Mr.  Edgerton  will  close  the  half  hour 


HOW   TO   BUILD   UP   THE   ADULT   BIBLE   CLASS       135 

with  a  statement  of  the  principal  points  to  be  remem- 
bered. Such  a  programme  as  this,  briskly  engineered 
by  a  capable  chairman,  would  make  few  demands  upon 
him,  would  enlist  the  leading  members  of  the  class,  and 
would  be  vastly  more  effective,  in  the  long  run,  than 
even  the  most  brilliant  teaching  which  is  largely  a 
monologue. 

The  Lecture  Plan.— Not  that  the  monologue  should 
be  excluded  altogether.  Indefensible  in  teaching  chil- 
dren, an  occasional  lecture  adds  dignity  and  attractive- 
ness to  an  adult  class.  Indeed  if,  as  occasionally  hap- 
pens, a  few  members  of  the  class  monopolize  the  time 
and  drive  away  other  members  by  tedious  and  obstinate 
discussions  or  harangues,  then  the  teacher  must  adopt 
the  lecture  system  to  save  his  class.  And  always  the 
class  will  appreciate  the  introduction  now  and  then  of 
some  specialist  for  an  extended  talk.  A  traveler  fresh 
from  abroad,  for  instance,  may  describe  the  lands  you 
are  studying  about.  A  physician  may  discuss  the  med- 
ical side  of  Luke's  writings.  Some  scholar  learned  in 
ancient  history  may  review  recent  discoveries  among 
the  monuments.  A  Christian  scientist  may  give  his 
views  on  the  reasonableness  of  miracles.  For  such  a 
talk,  of  wide  scope  and  fertilizing  power,  the  lesson  for 
the  day  may  profitably  be  omitted  or  postponed. 

In  adult  classes  the  methods  of  the  university  are  to 
be  used,  rather  than  those  of  the  grammar  school.  Be- 
fore starting  on  a  new  course  of  study,  the  teacher  should 
consult  the  class  and  get  their  ideas  as  to  the  best  meth- 
ods to  follow.  Sometimes,  even  when  there  is  no  other 
reason  for  it,  a  sense  of  freedom  and  of  mastership  is 


136  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

gained  by  departing  for  a  time  from  the  International 
lessons  and  striking  out  on  a  line  of  your  own  choosing. 
Always  the  International  scheme  is  to  be  made  the  serv- 
ant and  not  the  lord  of  the  adult  class. 

Something  to  Advertise. — Whether  such  a  departure 
is  made  or  not,  something  special  to  advertise  is  quite 
essential,  if  you  would  build  up  the  adult  department. 
It  may  be  a  series  of  talks,  by  specialists,  on  attractive 
Bible  subjects.  Some  novel  programme  of  class-work 
may  be  adopted,  for  a  quarter  or  a  year.  A  single  new 
feature,  such  as  a  class  library  or  regular  class  socials, 
may  be  introduced. 

And  then,  when  you  have  obtained  this  something  to 
advertise,  advertise  it!  Let  the  minister  make  it  a  text 
for  a  pulpit  discourse  on  the  adult  class  and  why  all 
adults  should  be  in  it.  Set  forth  the  inducement  on 
emphatic  placards,  posted  in  the  church  and  about  town. 
Use  the  church  paper,  the  town  paper.  Best  of  all,  send 
a  postal-card  invitation  (printed  with  type  or  on  a  mani- 
folder)  to  each  adult  member  of  the  congregation,  and 
then  follow  it  up  with  personal  urgings. 

A  class  organization  is  most  helpful  in  such  a  canvass, 
and  in  the  general  conduct  of  the  class  ;  it  aids  greatly  in 
carrying  out  the  ideal  of  an  adult  class  that  the  members 
of  the  class  should  do  as  much  as  possible  and  the  teacher 
as  little  as  possible!  There  should  be  a  president,  who 
should  conduct  the  business  of  the  class;  a  secretary,  to 
keep  the  constitution,  records,  and  rolls  ;  a  treasurer,  to 
receive  the  contributions,  and  obtain  the  lesson  helps 
and  other  supplies.  The  class  should  always  vote  on 
the  supplies  and  on  the  gifts  to  missions  or  charitable  ob- 


HOW   TO   BUILD   UP  THE   ADULT   BIBLE   CLASS       137 

jects.  When  the  teacher  must  be  absent,  the  substitute 
teacher  should  be  elected  by  the  class,  and  the  secretary 
should  obtain  his  services. 

Committees. — Especially,  there  should  be  committees. 
The  membership  committee  will  seek  to  add  to  the  class 
roll.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  "  vote  in "  every  one  that 
should  join  the  class,  and  then  appoint  one  member  of 
the  class  a  special  committee  to  wait  upon  the  member- 
elect  and  urge  his  acceptance.  Of  course  this  system  of 
elections  is  only  for  the  purpose  of  making  folks  feel 
that  they  are  desired,  and,  after  they  join,  that  they  "  be- 
long." If  it  degenerates  into  the  spirit  of  caste  and 
clique,  the  class  is  ruined.  It  should  all  be  as  democratic 
as  the  gospel,  and  the  wish  for  new  members  may  well 
be  proclaimed  at  each  meeting,  the  secretary  announcing 
the  gain  or  loss,  if  any,  of  the  past  week. 

Then,  there  should  be  a  social  committee ;  for  regular 
class  socials,  perhaps  every  two  months,  will  do  much  to 
build  up  the  adult  department.  These  should  be  held,  in 
turn,  at  the  homes  of  the  members.  Elaborate  refresh- 
ments should  be  rigidly  barred.  Some  pleasant  enter- 
tainment should  be  provided,  but  much  time  should  be 
left  for  friendly  conversation.  Joint  socials,  with  other 
adult  classes  similarly  organized,  are  among  the  delight- 
ful possibilities.  So  are  class  picnics  (no,  I  am  not  for- 
getting that  I  am  writing  about  adults  !),  class  attendance 
in  a  body  on  pleasant  and  profitable  entertainments,  and 
class  excursions  to  libraries,  museums,  and  places  of  his- 
torical or  scenic  interest.  Such  social  episodes  will  do 
wonders  to  promote  the  class  esprit  de  corps. 

Another  useful  bit  of  machinery  is  the  "  porch  "  com- 


138  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

mittee,  whose  duty  it  is  to  scan  the  church  congregation, 
note  the  strangers,  give  them  a  hearty  invitation  to  the 
class,  and,  if  they  consent,  escort  them  thither.  Various 
other  committees  will  arise,  as  the  work  progresses,  and 
an  adult  department,  thus  efficiently  organized,  will  be- 
come a  genuine  power,  not  only  in  the  school,  but  in  the 
church  and  the  community. 

The  Bible  Central. — For  all  this  pleasantness,  however, 
the  kernel  of  success  lies,  of  course,  in  the  solid  Bible  in- 
struction given  and  received.  Every  detail  of  the  class 
life  must  centre  upon  the  Scriptures.  Bibles  should  be 
plentiful  in  the  class  room, — enough  for  each  scholar  to 
have  one.  Let  some  bring  the  revision,  let  others  bring 
the  Greek,  the  Hebrew,  the  French  or  German.  There 
should  be  maps  on  the  wall.  There  should  be  a  black- 
board. Fundamental  reference  books  should  be  at  hand  ; 
if  possible,  a  class  library.  Induce  the  scholars  to  buy 
commentaries  and  Bible  dictionaries,  the  teacher  combin- 
ing orders  so  as  to  get  them  at  a  reduction.  Pictures  on 
the  wall,  photographs  of  Bible  scenery,  a  collection  of 
Oriental  curios— once  set  the  class  to  gathering  illustra- 
tive material,  and  it  will  flow  in  upon  you. 

At  the  end  of  each  lesson  the  adult  class  should  carry 
away  the  satisfying  sense  of  definite  accomplishment. 
The  use  of  a  syllabus  is  a  help  to  that  end, — a  set  of 
topics  or  of  questions,  printed  from  type  or  on  a  mani- 
folder.  These  syllabi  should  be  on  uniform  paper,  that 
they  may  be  preserved,  and  used  on  review  day.  Every 
lesson  should  close  with  a  review,  or  swift  summary. 
When  review  day  comes,  more  or  less  elaborate  essays  or 
talks  may  be  given  by  members  of  the  class,  taking  up 


HOW   TO   BUILD   UP  THE  ADULT   BIBLE   CLASS       139 

points  of  special  interest  connected  with  the  past  three 
months'  work.  Do  not  be  afraid — or,  rather,  train  the 
class  not  to  be  afraid — of  occasional  written  tests,  intro- 
duced on  any  Sunday.  Frame  questions  that  are  com- 
prehensive, yet  that  can  be  answered  in  a  very  few  words. 
Confine  this  exercise  to  ten  minutes  or  less,  and  promptly 
excuse  all  who  shrink  from  it.  Indeed,  in  all  the  work 
of  the  class  it  is  well  to  recognize  in  your  mind  a  class 
nucleus  of  real  students  who  are  ready  to  be  questioned 
by  name  and  called  upon  for  any  service,  and  the  class 
visitors  and  onlookers  who  prefer,  because  of  timidity  or 
ignorance,  merely  to  sit  and  listen.  While  recognizing 
this  division,  seek  constantly  to  carry  the  class  members 
from  the  second  class  into  the  first. 

Interest  the  Men. — It  generally  is  the  men  that  are  most 
ready  to  take  part  in  the  class  discussions,  and,  alas !  it  is 
everywhere  the  men  that  are  hardest  to  interest  in  the 
class.  For  this  reason  (quite  unfairly,  I  grant,  but  in 
their  unselfishness  the  women  will  forgive  it),  the  class 
work  should  be  made  to  have  a  predominantly  masculine 
character.  In  every  way,  cultivate  the  men.  Introduce 
themes  that  will  interest  them.  Draw  your  illustrations 
from  business  life.  Make  practical  applications  that  will 
fit  the  work  of  men.  Appoint  a  special "  men's  com- 
mittee," to  enlarge  the  masculine  membership  of  the  class. 
The  women — God  bless  them ! — will  come  of  their  own  ac- 
cord. 

Of  course  no  one  imagines  that  these  few  suggestions 
will  completely  solve  the  difficult  problem  of  the  adult 
department ;  but  they  will  go  far,  I  am  sure,  toward  a 
solution  of  them,  and  they  will  point  out  the  way  to 


140  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

meet  the  unnamed  and  unexpected  perplexities  when 
they  arise.  Only,  let  every  Sunday  school  be  assured 
that  an  adult  department  is  possible  for  it,  and  an  adult 
department  that  is  an  entire  and  glorious  success. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

WHAT  TO  DO   WITH  THE  HARDER  LESSONS 

What  Makes  a  Lesson  Hard  ?— Usually  the  fact  that  it 
is  not  suited  either  to  the  circumstances  or  the  mental 
development  of  your  class.  It  may  be  too  difficult  for 
them,  like  a  lesson  from  the  first  half  of  Romans  for  a 
class  of  little  fellows ;  or  it  may  be  too  easy  for  them,  like 
a  lesson  in  the  over-familiar  story  of  Moses  in  the  bul- 
rushes for  a  class  of  grown-ups.  A  lesson  from  the 
minor  prophets  that  would  be  almost  meaningless  to  a 
child  of  ten,  might  transform  the  whole  life  of  that 
young  Christian  ten  years  later.  The  problem  is  to 
make  Hebrews  clear  and  interesting  to  the  child,  and  to 
cram  the  account  of  Daniel  in  the  lions1  den  with  new 
significance  for  the  adult.  The  problem  is  to  transmute 
the  milk  for  babes  into  meat  for  strong  men,  and  the 
meat  into  the  milk.  It  is  not  an  easy  problem,  but  it  is 
one  full  of  fascination  and  profit.  Indeed,  at  bottom,  it 
is  the  great  problem  of  the  teacher's  art, — to  clothe 
things  hard  and  forbidding  with  the  grace  of  naturalness 
and  a  winning  charm. 

Therefore  my  advice  to  the  teacher  is  that  he  do  not 
groan  over  the  harder  lessons  fretfully  ;  or  shirk  them, 
perhaps,  by  substituting  easier  ones.  Leap  upon  them 
manfully,  as  foemen  worthy  of  your  steel.  As  Mark 
Tapley  was  overjoyed  when  at  last  he  encountered  a 

141 


142  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

situation  wherein  it  was  some  credit  to  be  jolly,  so  do 
you  rejoice  in  a  fair  opportunity  to  test  your  pedagog- 
ical skill. 

Discover,  if  You  Can,  the  Reason  Why  the  Lesson  was 
Selected. — Our  International  Lesson  Committee  are  men 
of  sense  as  well  as  scholars  of  erudition.  They  have  in 
mind  the  whole  school,  and  not  one  department  of  it. 
They  realize  deeply  the  immense  interests  entrusted  to 
their  care.  They  never  do  their  work  haphazard,  nor 
select  a  lesson  without  good  reason  for  the  selection. 
If  you  can  discover  that  reason,  much  of  the  difficulty 
of  teaching  the  harder  lessons  will  at  once  be  removed. 

Then,  meet  the  remaining  difficulties  fairly,  and  not 
with  babyish  evasions.  If  it  is  the  second  chapter  of 
Ephesians  which  furnishes  the  lesson,  do  not  prepare  a 
few  perfunctory  points,  and  take  to  the  class  some  article 
or  story  that  is  half  appropriate,  with  which  to  pad  out 
the  time.  Recognize  the  true  topic, — death  without 
Christ  and  life  with  Christ, — and  determine  that  that 
particular  truth  shall  become  a  part  of  your  scholars' 
character. 

Do  not  hesitate,  if  the  scholars  or  the  other  teachers 
complain  about  the  lesson,  to  admit  that  it  is  difficult; 
but  appeal  to  their  pride,  as  you  have  already  aroused 
your  own.  Tell  them,  as  Plato  was  fond  of  telling  his 
disciples,  that  "  good  things  are  hard."  Exhort  them  to 
face  the  problem  with  determination,  sure  that  in  the 
toughest  rock  lie  hidden  the  biggest  diamonds. 

Do  not  Permit  the  More  Difficult  Lessons  to  Steal  a 
March  Upon  You.— It  is  an  excellent  plan  to  examine 
carefully  the  lessons  for  a  year  in  advance,  and  discover 


WHAT  TO   DO   WITH   THE   HARDER  LESSONS       143 

which  are  going  to  present  the  greatest  difficulty.  Bear 
them  in  mind,  then,  for  months  before  you  come  to  them, 
and  think  about  each  one  of  them  until  you  have  found 
a  solution  for  its  perplexities.  Thus  upon  some  of  the 
lessons  you  will  focus  two  or  three  times  as  much  labor 
as  upon  the  easier  ones. 

The  superintendent,  too,  should  give  the  teachers 
seasonable  warning  when  a  hard  lesson  draws  near, 
urging  them  to  make  special  preparation  for  it.  He 
might  wisely  arrange  to  give  more  time  to  the  teaching 
on  that  particular  Sunday.  Perhaps  a  greater  service 
would  be  to  procure  some  bright,  suggestive  speaker, 
who  will  take  part  of  the  time  usually  given  to  the  open- 
ing exercises,  and  speak  to  the  school,  just  before  the 
lesson,  not  spoiling  the  lesson  by  anticipating  its  interest, 
but  skilfully  leading  up  to  it  and  inspiring  a  zest  for 
it. 

When  the  difficult  lessons  come  along,  then,  if  ever,  is 
felt  the  need  of  a  teachers'  meeting,  and  then  is  the  best 
time  to  start  one,  if  your  school  lacks  that  unequaled  pro- 
moter of  efficiency.  It  would  prove  the  entering  wedge 
if  the  superintendent  should  call  the  teachers  together  just 
to  study,  under  competent  leadership,  the  lessons  that  pre- 
sent immediate  difficulties.  If  they  are  brightly  managed, 
these  temporary  meetings  may  well  be  transformed  into  a 
permanent  institution. 

The  minister,  also,  should  lend  a  hand  at  this  juncture. 
If  he  takes  the  interest  in  his  Sunday  school  that  a  live 
minister  will,  the  difficult  lessons  will  appeal  to  him  as  a 
peculiar  opportunity  for  service.  Just  before  the  lessons 
are  to  be  taught  he  may  preach  a  sermon,  applying  to 


144  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

them  some  illuminating  principle  that  will  prove  to  every 
teacher  a  guide  through  their  labyrinth.  If  this  is  not 
practicable,  he  may  assign  the  subject  for  some  prayer 
meeting,  advertise  it  thoroughly,  and  thus  turn  upon  the 
hard  lessons  the  wisdom  of  the  entire  church — that  is,  if 
your  prayer  meetings  are  the  real  thing  ! 

The  Teacher's  Harder  Study. — But,  after  all,  the  fate 
of  the  difficult  lesson  rests  with  the  teacher,  and  not  with 
the  superintendent  or  the  minister.  Until  he  has  made 
the  lesson  easy  to  himself,  let  him  not  expect  to  make  it 
easy  to  any  scholar,  lie  must  read  more  than  usual,  see- 
ing the  lesson  through  many  eyes.  He  must  think  more 
than  usual,  digesting  and  making  his  own  these  manifold 
thoughts  of  others.  Especially,  he  must  study  the  diffi- 
cult lesson  in  the  large,  see  it  in  all  its  relations,  get  a 
sharp  view  of  the  events  connecting  it  with  preceding 
lessons,  and  look  down  upon  the  entire  field  from  above, 
as  one  com  prebends  geography  from  a  balloon. 

Simplify.— And  then,  having  learned  all  you  can  about 
the  lesson,  see  how  much  you  can  forget !  That  is,  do 
not  try  to  teach  all  you  know.  Fix  on  the  central 
theme,  and  do  not  admit  a  single  detail  that  would 
confuse  and  distract.  Adopt  a  simple  outline.  For  no 
lessons  is  this  so  necessary  as  for  the  hard  ones.  Far 
more  than  is  often  realized,  the  teacher's  art  is  the  art  of 
balance,  of  selection,  of  proportion  ;  and  the  more  diffi- 
cult the  subject,  the  greater  the  need  of  observing  this 
principle.  A  very  few  things  taught,  and  taught  so  as 
to  be  remembered,  will  make  a  successful  lesson. 

Learn  the  Scholars'  Difficulties.— So  much  for  your 
mastery  of  the  lesson  ;  but  before  you  can  adopt  a  teach- 


WHAT  TO  DO  WITH  THE  HARDER  LESSONS        145 

ing  plan,  you  will  need  to  form  a  clear  idea  of  the  diffi- 
culties your  scholars  will  find  in  their  preparation.  There 
is  no  better  way  to  discover  these  than  b}'  actually  go- 
ing over  the  lesson  with  some  member  of  your  class. 
Note  where  he  hesitates  and  stumbles  and  appears 
stupid ;  note  the  questions  he  asks ;  observe  the  effect 
of  your  explanations,  and  use  it  all  as  indications  of  the 
way  that  lesson  should  be  taught. 

A  method  even  more  thoroughgoing  and  effective  is 
to  hold  a  midweek  meeting  of  your  class  for  that  es- 
pecial lesson — a  study  meeting,  while  the  Sunday  hour 
is  to  be  a  recitation  meeting.  This  study  meeting  might 
be  held  at  your  house,  with  some  pleasant  social  features. 
After  an  hour  spent  together  around  a  table,  poring  over 
Bibles,  Bible  dictionaries,  Bible  atlases,  concordances,  and 
other  helps,  not  only  will  the  class  be  brought  closer  to- 
gether than  ever  before  and  drawn  nearer  to  their 
teacher,  but  they  will  have  gained  a  new  insight  into 
the  way  to  study — and  all  this  in  addition  to  a  start  on 
the  difficult  lesson  which  will  make  the  coming  recita- 
tion meeting  a  delight  and  a  triumph. 

Some  Novelty. — It  is  well  to  save  for  the  harder  les- 
sons whatever  bright  novelty  you  wish  to  add  to  your 
teaching  methods.  By  introducing  it  at  that  time  you 
signalize  the  lesson  as  one  of  unusual  importance,  you 
add  to  its  interest,  and  you  insure  its  being  better  re- 
membered. 

For  example,  you  may  not  yet  have  set  your  class  to 
writing  paraphrases  of  the  Scripture  text;  you  may  not 
have  divided  the  verses  around,  asking  each  scholar  to 
write  out  a  commentary  on  his  verse,  to  be  read  in  the 


146  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

class;  you  may  not  have  prepared  an  outline  of  the 
lesson  and  given  copies  of  the  outline  to  each  scholar  as 
a  guide  to  his  study ;  you  may  not  have  prepared  a  set 
of  questions  on  the  lesson,  requesting  each  member  of 
the  class  to  write  out  his  answers  before  Sunday,  so  that 
they  may  be  compared  by  the  class,  which  will  then 
vote  on  the  best  answer  to  each  question.  Any  one  of 
these  little  schemes  would  insure  an  exceptional  amount 
of  study  and  arouse  the  scholars  to  do  their  best. 

Special  Essays. — Some  lessons  can  best  be  treated  by 
essays  on  their  most  difficult  points,  all  members  of  the 
class  sharing  in  the  work ;  if  the  same  subject  is  assigned 
to  more  than  one  scholar,  so  much  the  better.  For  ex- 
ample, if  your  lesson  is  taken  from  the  great  argument 
in  Romans  for  justification  by  faith,  ask  three  members 
of  the  class  to  write  five-minute  essays  on  the  book,  giv- 
ing its  general  outline  and  the  course  of  its  argument.  If 
the  lesson  is  chosen  from  one  of  Jeremiah's  prophecies, 
ask  three  scholars  to  write  five-minute  essays  on  the 
circumstances  of  Jeremiah's  life  and  the  evils  against 
which  he  preached.  Looking  at  a  theme  from  three 
points  of  view,  and  repeating  three  times  the  fundamen- 
tals of  the  lesson,  will  greatly  help  to  clear  up  the  teach- 
ing and  fix  it  in  the  memory. 

A  Programme. — For  variety,  try  sometimes  a  regular 
programme  in  place  of  the  recitation.  Let  each  scholar 
have  a  neat  copy  of  the  programme,  to  use  in  following 
the  exercises  and  to  take  away  with  him.  If  your  class 
meets  in  a  separate  room,  announce  the  plan  a  week  in 
advance,  and  ask  the  scholars  to  invite  outsiders  in  to 
hear  the  exercises.      If  the  lesson,  for  example,  is  on 


WHAT  TO   DO   WITH  THE  HARDER  LESSONS       H7 

Christ's  talk  with  Nicodemus,  you  might  have  one 
scholar  prepare  a  talk  on  Nicodemus,  the  office  he  held, 
and  why  he  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  together  with  what 
is  known  of  his  later  history.  Another  scholar  will  read 
an  essay  comparing  this  conversation  with  Christ's  other 
conversations  that  are  recorded,  as  to  theme,  manner, 
and  results.  A  third  scholar  will  write  an  essay  on  the 
new  birth,  its  meaning  and  necessity.  A  fourth  will  give 
a  Bible- reading,  comparing  the  passage  in  John  with 
other  Scripture  on  the  same  subject.  A  fifth  will  read 
a  commentary  on  the  topic, — some  passage  from  an 
eloquent  sermon,  perhaps.  Two  others  will  recite 
hymns  or  other  poems  upon  the  new  birth.  Still  others 
will  relate  instances  of  the  new  birth,  stories  of  modern 
conversions.  You  might  close  with  a  portion  of  Drum- 
mond's  chapter  on  t!ie  new  birth  in  his  "  Natural  Law  in 
the  Spiritual  World,"  and  with  an  earnest  prayer  for 
all  present  that  have  not  been  born  again.  Such  a 
programme  would  signalize  any  lesson,  and  transform 
it  from  a  hard,  dull  one,  to  a  red-letter  day  in  Sunday- 
school  history. 

A  Lecture.— A  reversal  of  this  method  may  be  best,  on 
occasion, — just  a  long  talk,  a  lecture,  given  by  the  teacher 
or  by  some  one  called  in  for  that  particular  lesson.  For 
instance,  the  passage  for  that  Sunday  may  be  taken 
from  the  middle  of  the  book  of  Job.  Hardly  could  you 
do  better  than  place  a  Bible  in  the  hands  of  each  scholar, 
and  then  let  either  you  or  some  one  who  has  made  a 
special  study  of  Job,  go  through  the  entire  book,  reading 
the  finest  passages,  giving  a  running  commentary,  ex- 
hibiting the  dramatic  form  and  the  structure  of  the  great 


148  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

poem,  and  showing  through  it  all  its  framework  of 
superb  doctrine. 

At  the  end  of  such  a  talk,  or  at  the  beginning,  there 
might  be  a  "  quiz,"  brisk  questions  being  fired  back  and 
forth.  Even  better  would  be  a  written  test  of  the 
scholars'  grasp  of  the  subject,  the  questions  being  so 
framed  that  adequate  answers  can  be  very  brief. 

Similar  to  this  lecture  from  some  outsider  is  the  plan 
of  an  exchange  of  classes.  If  you  take  a  new  class  and 
your  class  has  a  new  teacher  for  the  difficult  lesson,  what 
is  lost  from  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  scholars  may  be 
more  than  counterbalanced  by  their  interest  in  the  fresh 
face  and  novel  methods.  The  new  broom  may  sweep 
clean  even  the  cobwebs  of  a  tangled  lesson. 

Sometimes  a  novel  lesson  help  will  serve  the  same 
purpose  as  a  new  teacher.  Provide  each  scholar  with 
some  book,  paper,  or  magazine  which  will  help  him  study 
the  lesson — something  altogether  different  from  the 
lesson  help  he  is  in  the  habit  of  using.  This  loan  will 
be  in  itself  a  forcible  hint  for  harder  study  than  usual, 
and  curiosity,  if  nothing  higher,  will  lead  to  an  ac- 
quaintance with  the  new  book  or  paper. 

Whatever  method  is  chosen  for  the  difficult  lesson, 
bear  in  mind  the  especial  need  of  a  review  the  next  Sun- 
day, and  plan  to  make  it  unusually  thorough.  Indeed,  a 
review  for  several  Sundays  in  succession,  or  until  you  are 
sure  the  subject  is  mastered,  would  be  entirely  in  place. 
For  there  is  no  excuse  for  the  Sunday  school  except  as 
things  are  learned. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  throughout  this  chapter  I  have 
spoken  of  the  difficult  lesson,  and  not  of  the  lessons  that 


WHAT  TO   DO   WITH   THE  HARDER  LESSONS       149 

are  hard  to  teach  because  they  are  too  easy  and  familiar. 
Nearly  everything  I  have  said,  however,  will  apply, 
with  little  change,  to  the  latter  problem  as  well  as  the 
former. 

Be  sure,  teachers,  that  whatever  difficulties  surround  a 
lesson,  they  may  be  conquered  by  a  willing  spirit  and  a 
thoughtful  mind.  Every  lesson  is  a  rough  block  of 
marble,  with  a  statue  inside  it.  Often,  very  often,  it 
happens  that  the  more  hammering  you  must  do  to  get 
the  statue  out,  the  more  lovely  appears  the  statue  when 
at  last  it  is  discovered.  To  work,  then,  with  hammer 
and  chisel,  and  grace  and  grit  to  your  elbows  1 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE   BIBLE   IN   THE   CLASS 

Whatever  else  is  taught  in  the  Sunday  school,  it  is 
mainly  a  school  for  Bible-study.  "  Bible  school  "  is  a  far 
better  name  for  it,  were  not  the  other  name  so  firmlv 
established.  And  yet  there  is  many  a  class  that  does  not 
study  the  Bible,  but  merely  studies  about  it.  The  folly 
of  this  is  sometimes  recognized,  and  at  once  there  springs 
up  an  unreasoning  prejudice  against  lesson  leaves  and 
lesson  helps  of  all  kinds ;  whereas  these  are  of  the  great- 
est usefulness,  it  being  only  necessary  to  see  that  they  do 
not  drive  out  the  Bible  itself,  but  that  this  fundamental 
text-book  is  in  the  hand  of  every  scholar,  and  is  con- 
stantly and  intelligently  used.  Let  me  give  a  few  sug- 
gestions, first  in  regard  to  getting  the  Bibles  into  the 
Sunday  school,  and  second  in  regard  to  using  them  when 
they  are  there. 

Appeal  to  the  parents,  perhaps  by  a  circular  letter  or  a 
public  address,  asking  them  to  provide  Bibles  for  their 
children.  Let  the  school  arrange  with  a  dealer  to  fur- 
nish Bibles  at  a  discount,  and  appoint  one  person  to  re- 
ceive orders  from  parents  and  scholars.  If  any  parents 
are  really  too  poor  to  buy  Bibles,  the  school  officers 
should  quietly  present  copies  through  the  teachers. 

Usable  Bibles.— It  is  quite  necessary,  if  these  Bibles  are 
to  be  used,  that  they  should  be  usable.     In  all  other 

150 


THE   BIBLE   IN   THE   CLASS  151 

books  for  children  we  sensibly  insist  on  large,  clear  type. 
Why  should  the  children's  Bibles  be  illegible  with  line 
type,  thin  paper,  and  poor  print  ?  The  children's  other 
books  are  bright  with  beautiful  pictures  and  brilliant 
with  handsome  bindings.  Why  should  their  Bibles  be 
the  most  unattractive  volumes  they  possess  ?  Is  this  the 
way  to  exalt  the  Scriptures  in  their  childish  minds  ? 

No;  economize  in  any  other  direction  in  the  Sunday 
school,  but  be  liberal  when  you  buy  the  children's  Bibles. 
Get  opaque  paper,  large  type,  leather  binding.  Let  it  be 
a  reference  Bible,  with  an  atlas  at  the  end,  and  all  the 
helps  of  a  teacher's  Bible.  If  the  parents  can  be  per- 
suaded to  have  their  children's  Bibles  interleaved,  they 
will  add  much  to  their  possible  value.  And  I,  for  one, 
would  never  give  a  child  the  King  James  version.  lie 
is  to  be  a  child  of  the  twentieth  century,  and  he  has  a 
right  to  the  most  accurate  obtainable  translation  of  the 
words  of  Holy  Writ,  our  Victorian  revision. 

Take  the  Bibles  Home. — The  Bibles  being  provided, 
should  they  be  kept  at  the  school  ?  That  plan  saves 
trouble,  but  it  wastes  scholarship.  A  good  Bible,  and  all 
the  scholar's  own,  is  the  teacher's  best  inducement  for 
home  study ;  but  not  unless  the  Bible  is  carried  home. 
Every  class  should  have  a  number  of  extra  Bibles,  for  the 
use  of  children  that  forget  theirs,  as  well  as  for  the  use 
of  visitors;  but  ingenuity  and  persistence  will  prevail 
upon  the  scholars  to  bring  their  Bibles  from  home. 

The  girls,  and  especially  the  boys,  may  feel  shamefaced 
about  carrying  their  Bibles  through  the  streets.  Though 
they  will  not  admit  it,  they  are  woefully  afraid  of  seeming 
"goody-goody."     If,  however,  the  entire  school  enters 


152  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

into  a  covenant  to  bring  their  Bibles,  and  young  folks 
are  seen  scurrying,  Bible  in  hand,  down  every  street, 
what  all  boys  do  no  boy  will  be  afraid  to  do.  The  main 
difficulty  is  to  get  the  fashion  started. 

For  this  purpose  I  should  have  a  careful  record  kept, 
by  individual  names  in  each  class,  of  the  Bibles  brought 
every  Sabbath  ;  and  I  should  include  the  record,  with 
comparative  statements,  in  the  secretary's  report  to  the 
school.  In  addition,  I  should  organize  a  "B.  B.  B." — 
u  Bible  Bringers'  Band."  Obtain  badges  bearing  the 
cabalistic  letters,  and  permit  every  scholar  to  wear  a 
badge  so  long  as  he  brings  his  Bible  regularly  ;  but  if  he 
forgets  it  any  Sunday,  keep  his  badge  for  a  month  from 
that  date.  Present  photographs  of  Bible  scenes  to  all 
the  scholars  that  can  show  a  perfect  "  B.  B.  B."  record 
for  a  year. 

But  there  is  no  use  in  getting  the  Bibles  to  the  school 
unless  you  use  them  when  there;  and,  moreover,  a  bright 
use  of  them  in  the  class  will  go  far  to  insure  their  being 
brought.  So  we  will  pass  to  our  second  inquiry, — how  to 
utilize  the  Scriptures  in  our  class  work. 

The  Teacher's  Own  Bible.— In  the  first  place,  it  must 
be  urged  that  teachers  use  the  Bible  as  the  basis  of  their 
own  study — not  the  teacher's  monthly  or  the  commen- 
tary or  any  other  help ;  all  these,  though  absolutely 
necessary,  are  distinctly  secondary.  Thorough  familiar- 
ity with  his  great  text-book  will  alone  enable  the  teacher 
to  appeal  to  the  Bible  for  constant  confirmation  of  his 
statements,  for  illustrations,  for  side-lights,  for  additional 
facts.  Certainly  for  every  use  of  secular  careers,  such  as 
those  of    earth's  Cromwells,  Arthurs,  Victorias,  Wash- 


THE   BIBLE   IN   THE   CLASS  153 

ingtons,  and  Mil  tons,  our  Bible  teachers  should  give  their 
scholars  citations  of  sacred  biography,  the  lives  of  Moses, 
Samuel,  David,  Elijah,  Paul.  We  are  to  emphasize 
Bible-study,  and  not,  as  is  too  often  customary,  the  study 
of  Jewish  history  along  lines  parallel  with  the  history  of 
Greece  and  Rome.  If  the  teacher  has  not  a  manifest  love 
of  his  Bible,  and  a  flashing,  finger-end  acquaintance  with 
it,  there  is  no  hope  that  he  will  inspire  his  scholars  with 
either  the  love  or  the  knowledge. 

Also,  the  school  as  a  whole  must  use  the  Bible.  It  is 
the  universal  custom  to  read  the  day's  lesson  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  session,  generally  the  superintendent  and 
school  reading  alternate  verses.  Let  this  reading  always 
be  from  the  Bible  and  never  from  the  lesson  leaves. 
Often  let  it  begin  before  the  assigned  lesson,  or  extend 
farther,  or  even  let  a  selection  be  made  from  another 
portion  of  the  Book.  Open  the  school  and  close  it  with 
the  reverential  reading  of  some  psalm  in  concert,  and 
often  change  to  fresh  passages.  In  this  way  let  the 
Bible  become  the  book  of  the  school,  and  it  will  far  more 
likely  become  the  book  of  the  scholar. 

In  the  class  itself,  a  good  introduction  to  the  lesson  is 
the  simple  reading  of  the  text  in  some  version  unfamiliar 
to  the  scholars,  who  will  note  the  differences  as  they 
occur.  The  American  version  may  be  used  in  this  way, 
the  various  renderings  of  the  Bible  in  Scotch,  in  ordi- 
nary modern  language,  and  in  foreign  tongues.  If  any 
scholar  understands  French,  or  Latin,  or  German,  or 
Greek,  encourage  him  to  bring  to  the  class  the  Scrip- 
tures in  those  languages. 

Illuminate  every  lesson  with  light  from  all  the  Bible. 


154  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

Set  your  scholars  to  constructing  their  own  reference 
Bibles.  Assign  each  verse  of  the  lesson  to  a  scholar, 
and  teach  him  how,  at  home,  to  find  other  Scriptures 
illustrating  its  teachings,  customs  and  facts.  In  the  class 
recitations  all  this  work  will  be  combined. 

Bible-marking,  by  some  simple  yet  comprehensive  plan, 
will  greatly  promote  the  scholars'  use  of  the  Bible.  At 
the  end  of  the  year  the  school  may  place  on  exhibition 
all  the  Bibles  that  have  been  thus  used,  giving  prizes, 
perhaps,  for  the  best  work  done.  Such  an  exhibition 
may  be  made  a  most  profitable  occasion.  In  addition  to 
the  marked  Bibles,  a  collection  of  all  sorts  of  interesting 
Bibles  may  be  placed  on  view, — Bibles  in  many  lan- 
guages, old  Bibles,  rare  Bibles,  big  Bibles,  little  Bibles, 
various  versions,  Bibles  with  special  histories — a  very 
carnival  of  Bibles.  A  little  entertainment  may  also  be 
provided,  consisting  of  class  drills  in  the  use  of  the  Bible, 
essays  on  the  Bible  and  its  history,  recitations  of  striking 
Bible  passages,  and  the  like.  All  this  will  add  to  the 
school's  interest  in  the  Scriptures. 

Some  Bible  Drills. — I  have  mentioned  Bible  drills. 
Let  me  name  a  few.  Such  sprightly  exercises  as  the 
following  may  occupy  the  first  five  minutes  of  every 
lesson.  The  scholars  will  enjoy  them,  and  they  will  give 
the  class  familiarity  with  the  Bible  more  rapidly,  per- 
haps, than  any  other  method,  because  they  contain  the 
element  of  play.  Here  are  a  few  modes  of  Bible 
drill: 

1.  Finding  versos:  "  First  Corinthians  2:  5," — to  see 
who  can  first  turn  to  the  passage  and  read  it. 

2.  The  subject  of  the  verse  given  concisely,  the  book 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

THE   BIBLE  IN  THE   CLASSV  ^ 


and  chapter,  but  not  the  verse.     Who  will  first  find  it  ? 
As :  "  Read  the  verse  on  giving  in  Acts  20." 

3.  Famous  passages  indicated  more  obscurely,  to  be 
found  as  quickly  as  possible.  For  instance :  "  Isaiah's 
description  of  the  Messiah.  Paul's  chapter  on  charity. 
The  list  of  the  twelve  apostles.  The  Magnificat.  The 
epistles  to  the  seven  churches." 

4.  Who  will  first  find  a  text  on  temperance  ?  on  love  ? 
on  prayer  ?  on  sin  ? 

5.  Who  can  first  find  the  sentence,  "  Thy  faith  hath 
saved  thee ;  go  in  peace  "  ?  The  phrase,  "  Apples  of  gold 
in  baskets  of  silver"?  The  proverb,  "A  soft  answer 
turneth  away  wrath  "  ? 

6.  Who  can  find  the  first  reference  to  Paul  that 
occurs  in  the  Bible?  to  Moses?  to  Christ?  to  Elijah  ? 

7.  Turn  to  the  shortest  verse  in  the  Bible.  The 
longest  chapter. 

8.  Find  the  Ten  Commandments.  The  Shepherd 
Psalm.  Moses'  Psalm.  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 
The  Lord's  Prayer.     Paul's  speech  on  Mars'  Hill. 

Such  exercises  as  these  may  be  devised  in  great  num- 
bers by  the  teacher,  and  used  until  the-  scholars  develop  a 
remarkable  facility  in  the  searching  of  Scripture.  Occa- 
sionally let  a  member  of  the  class  be  appointed  drill- 
master,  and  put  the  scholars  through  their  paces  in- 
stead of  the  teacher.  The  drill  must  be  conducted  in  a 
sprightly  way,  and  with  entire  good  humor,  if  it  is  to  be 
a  success. 

You  will  not  go  far  in  the  class  use  of  the  Bible  with- 
out discovering  the  need  of  a  class  concordance  and  Bible 
index.     Both  of  these,  as  found  in  our  teacher's  Bibles, 


156  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

are  so  incomplete  as  to  be  more  tantalizing  than 
useful. 

The  presence  of  Bibles  in  the  class  is  an  especial  ad- 
vantage at  the  outset  of  the  lesson,  when  you  study  the 
connecting  links  of  history  binding  the  current  lesson 
with  its  predecessor.  If  the  scholars  have  not  studied 
these  intervening  passages,  have  them  open  their  Bibles, 
glance  rapidly  over  the  proper  chapters,  close  the  books, 
and  then  tell,  as  called  upon,  the  facts  they  have  thus 
gleaned. 

Once  in  a  while,  when  you  want  to  stimulate  some 
special  scholar,  it  will  be  well  to  appoint  him  (or  her) 
44  Bible  man  "  (or  "  Bible  woman  ")  for  the  day.  Then 
all  questions  relating  to  other  parts  of  the  Bible  will  be 
referred  to  him  as  they  arise,  and  he  will  be  expected  to 
consult  his  Bible  and  discover  the  answers. 

Of  course  the  teacher  will  take  care  not  to  confine  this 
work  to  the  few  familiar  books  of  the  Bible.  Open  up 
to  your  scholars  Ilosea  as  well  as  John,  Job  as  well  as 
the  Acts,  Ezekiel  as  well  as  the  Psalms.  Make  it  a  point 
to  associate  with  each  lesson  as  many  Bible  books  as  you 
can,  thus  giving  your  scholars  each  week  a  wide  view 
over  Holy  Writ. 

A  little  record,  easily  made,  which  will  serve  as  a  de- 
cided incentive  to  the  use  of  the  Bible,  is  the  following: 
Get  your  scholars,  as  soon  as  they  are  sure  they  under- 
stand everything  on  any  page  of  the  Bible,  to  write  in 
the  corner  of  the  page  the  initials  of  their  name;  they 
have  made  that  page  their  own.  At  least  one  page  will 
be  marked  each  Sunday,  and  your  class  will  be  eager  to 
see  the  conquered  area  grow. 


THE  BIBLE  IN  THE  CLASS  157 

Apply  to  the  problem  of  Bible-study  tangible  little 
plans  like  this,  showing  your  scholars  definite  results 
growing  slowly  but  surely,  and  they  will  soon  become 
fascinated  with  the  noble  occupation,  and  will  carry  it 
on  from  these  little  beginnings  to  the  great  results  of 
genuine  scholarship. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

PATRIOTISM    IN   THE   SUNDAY    SCHOOL 

How  can  the  study  of  the  ancient  Hebrews,  so  far 
away  in  space  and  time,  be  made  to  promote  patriotism 
among1  our  modern  girls  and  boys  ? 

The  difficulty  is  all  on  the  surface,  for  the  problems 
that  good  citizens  are  trying  to  work  out  in  our  country 
are  essentially  the  same  problems  that  faced  the  best 
men  and  women  of  Bible  times.  What  better  illustra- 
tion of  the  evils  of  nepotism  and  of  absentee  government 
than  the  story  of  Eli  and  his  sons?  Where,  even  in  our 
own  days,  so  favored  in  that  particular,  could  one  find  a 
more  admirable  specimen  of  a  demagogue  than  Absalom  ? 
Do  not  our  labor  troubles  echo  the  difficulties  that  arose 
among  Pharaoh's  brickmakers,  and  also  among  Solomon's 
builders,  led  by  that  "  walking  delegate,"  Jeroboam  ? 
What  an  example  does  David's  great  sin  furnish  of  the 
relations  between  the  private  and  the  public  life  of  rulers  ! 
How  many  points  in  our  Bills  of  Rights  were  anticipated 
by  the  episode  of  Xaboth's  vineyard  !  Goliath  was  made 
to  know  the  power  of  a  single  young  patriot,  and  Pilate's 
example  should  suffice  to  make  manifest  for  all  time  the 
futility  of  mere  expediency  as  against  justice. 

Indeed,  our  modern  civilization  is  based  on  the  Bible ; 
and,  quite  naturally,  the  Scriptures  are  the  best  text- 
book of  patriotism. 

158 


PATRIOTISM   IN  THE   SUNDAY   SCHOOL  159 

The  Patriotic  View  Broadens  the  Lesson. — It  gives  a 
new  interest.  It  wakes  up  the  scholars,  who  may  have  be- 
come sated  with  the  ethical  view,  and  tired  of  steady 
moralizing.  It  is  especially  helpful  in  classes  of  boys; 
and  these  embryo  citizens  begin  to  see  religion  as  the 
manly  thing  it  is  when  they  hear  its  application  to  men 
and  affairs  of  the  present-day  world. 

To  teach  patriotism — in  the  Sunday  school  or  anywhere 
else— one  must  be  a  patriot.  If  the  great  theme  is  on  his 
heart,  the  teacher  will  find  it  in  every  lesson. 

Nor  is  it  enough  for  a  man  to  be  a  patriot  in  theory 
and  feeling  only — if  such  a  thing  is  possible.  No  one 
can  be  an  effective  teacher  of  patriotism  without  a  knowl- 
edge of  his  country,  its  history,  its  constitution,  its  gov- 
ernment, the  condition  of  its  citizens.  Few  matters  are 
more  profitable  themes  for  the  teacher's  study  than  social 
conditions  and  economic  problems, — the  life  of  the  poor, 
the  temptations  of  the  drunkard,  incitements  to  gam- 
bling, the  manifold  misery  of  the  slums,  the  often  equal 
wretchedness  of  wealth.  A  knowledge  of  such  facts  will 
quicken  sympathy  and  enlarge  the  understanding.  It 
will  vivify  and  explain  much  that  is  in  the  Bible,  and  the 
Bible  in  turn  will  solve  the  problems  of  the  present  day. 
Hardly  can  you  do  your  scholars  a  more  valuable  service 
than  by  showing  them  how  to  bring  the  inspired  wisdom 
of  old  into  our  modern  living. 

The  newspapers  must  be  among  your  constant  allies 
in  this  work,  because  they  mirror  your  country's  condi- 
tions— not  perfectly,  ah,  no !  but  better  than  any  other 
medium.  You  must  yourself  be  a  vigorous  newspaper- 
reader,  not  confining  yourself  to  one  paper,  nor  to  the 


160  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

papers  of  one  party.  It  would  be  an  excellent  plan  to 
instruct  your  class  also  in  the  art  of  reading  a  news- 
paper wisely, — an  art  so  few  possess.  To  this  end  ap- 
point one  scholar  each  week  as  the  "  newspaper  reporter  " 
for  the  class.  Go  over  the  papers  with  him  every  day, 
showing  him  what  to  read  thoroughly,  what  to  read  only 
by  title,  and  what  to  pass  over  as  summarily  as  if  it  were 
poison.  Show  him  how  this  incident  and  that  are 
related  to  the  truth  of  the  next  lesson,  and  get  him  to 
make  before  the  class  a  report  of  such  events.  This  ex- 
ercise will  greatly  aid  in  making  the  Bible  a  vital  book 
for  the  children. 

Just  one  word  of  perhaps  unneeded  caution.  Be  care- 
ful in  this  newspaper  work  to  treat  fairly  all  parties,  and 
all  points  in  dispute  among  good  people.  Remember 
that  you  are  likely  to  have  among  your  scholars  or  their 
parents  representatives  of  all  parties,  and  always  discuss 
principles  rather  than  parties  or  party  leaders. 

The  teacher  of  patriotism  should  read  the  writings  of 
the  great  patriots  wherever  he  can  find  them,  and  copy 
passages  for  future  use.  Note  especially  any  reference 
to  the  Bible  or  any  parallel  to  Bible  events,  and  place 
copies  of  such  utterances  in  your  Bible  at  the  passages 
which  they  illuminate.  These  echoes  of  the  Bible  in  the 
words  of  great  patriots  will  demonstrate  to  your  scholars, 
more  impressively  than  many  words  of  your  own,  the 
truth  and  power  of  the  Book. 

Most  Sunday-school  lessons  have  a  national  as  well  as 
a  personal  aspect.  The  teacher  should  not  neglect  the 
first,  though  it  is  confessedly  more  difficult  to  study  and 
present.     History    in    itself   has  a  profoundly   ethical 


PATRIOTISM   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL  161 

value,  if  it  is  properly  taught.  There  is  far  too  little 
use  by  Sunday-school  teachers  of  such  impressive  and 
fascinating  histories  of  Bible  times  as  the  works  of 
Geikie,  Stanley,  Edersheim,  Sanders  and  Kent.  They 
will  teach  you  to  take  broad  views,  and  will  enable  you 
to  win  and  hold  the  most  thoughtful  and  ambitious  of 
the  young  people. 

Study  Secular  History. — It  is  a  good  practice  for  a 
teacher  always  to  have  on  hand,  as  well,  some  secular 
history — the  story  of  Holland,  say ;  of  Switzerland,  of 
Greece,  of  England,  of  Germany,  Russia,  the  United 
States,  Japan.  A  new  country  might  well  be  studied 
thus  each  quarter,  noting  as  you  proceed  all  illustrations 
of  Bible  truths  and  parallels  to  Bible  history,  jotting 
down  the  references  on  the  margins  of  your  Bible. 

For  patriotism  must  come  to  have,  to  you  and  your 
class,  a  meaning  far  larger  than  the  boundaries  of  your 
own  country.  You  must  come  to  see  how  all  countries 
of  the  modern  world  are  bound  together  by  a  network  of 
vital  interests,  so  that  when  one  suffers  all  the  others  suf- 
fer with  it.  The  highest  patriotism  strives  to  improve 
its  own  land,  that  it  may  the  more  effectively  bless  the 
world. 

Study  Biography.— In  emphasizing  the  need  of  the 
study  of  history,  I  do  not  intend  to  imply  that  biography 
is  to  occupy  a  secondary  place,  for  biography  is  only  his- 
tory taken  to  pieces  and  seen  at  close  range.  The  life 
stories  of  the  Hebrew  heroes  are  best  illustrated  by  the 
biographies  of  modern  patriots — Moses  by  Lincoln,  Jona- 
than by  Wolfe,  Gideon  by  William  of  Orange.  The 
more  you  study   the   Bible  and  the  more  you  study 


162  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

national  biography,  the  more  fascinated  you  will  be  with 
the  correspondences  and  illuminations  you  will  discover. 

If  you  have  a  boys'  class — and  many  a  class  of  girls 
would  also  find  it  interesting — organize  it  into  a  Chris- 
tian Patriot's  League.  Design  a  banner  for  it  and  a  badge. 
Hold  occasional  special  meetings,  especially  on  the 
national  holidays  ;  but  the  regular  meetings  will  occupy 
the  five  or  ten  minutes  of  the  Sunday-school  hour  that 
are  devoted  to  the  patriotic  aspects  of  the  lesson. 

Make  use  of  patriotic  recitations  whenever  you  can. 
All  your  scholars  should  know  by  heart  the  national 
songs,  so  that  they  may  be  repeated  in  concert  when 
they  are  suitable. 

Portraits  of  eminent  patriots  will  be  useful  to  add 
vividness  to  such  work  as  I  am  outlining.  They  may  be 
cut  from  periodicals,  neatly  mounted,  and  kept  in  alpha- 
betic order  ready  for  the  proper  lessons.  Pictures  of 
landscapes  with  soul-stirring  associations,  and  of  houses 
connected  with  the  lives  of  national  heroes,  may  be  used 
in  the  same  way. 

The  lessons  that  may  be  taught  from  such  studies  are 
personal,  as  well  as  national,  because  a  nation  can  be 
pure  and  strong  only  as  its  citizens  are  capable  and  good. 
The  great  international  question  of  arbitration,  for  in- 
stance, is  fruitful  in  its  suggestions  of  individual  kindli- 
ness and  justice.  The  long  struggle  of  the  Hebrew  na- 
tion with  idolatry  has  a  thousand  applications  to  the  cor- 
rupting idols  that  we  are  all  likely  to  set  up  in  our  souls. 

A  word  must  be  said  about  the  superintendent  and  the 
general  exercises  of  the  school,  and  how  they  also  can 
teach  patriotism. 


PATRIOTISM   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL  163 

Occasionally  some  Christian  office-holder  may  be  ob- 
tained for  a  few  words  to  the  school.  This  address  will 
mean  much,  especially  to  the  boys,  and  will  exalt  im- 
mensely in  their  esteem  not  only  the  Sunday  school  but 
also  the  entire  subject  of  religion. 

As  the  national  holidays  come  along,  recognize  them 
in  the  general  exercises  of  the  school.  Use  decorations 
in  which  the  flag  is  prominent.  Have  some  scholar  give 
an  appropriate  recitation.  Select  the  songs  with  refer- 
ence to  the  occasion.  Remind  the  school  of  the  day,  and 
in  a  few  words  urge  upon  the  scholars  the  love  of  their 
country  and  loyalty  to  it. 

Patriotic  Prayers. — Most  important  of  all,  let  the  su- 
perintendent, as  he  opens  the  sessions  with  prayer,  never 
forget  the  country,  but  in  thanksgiving  and  petition  lay 
its  interests  before  the  Almighty.  The  scholars  them- 
selves may  offer  a  patriotic  prayer,  committing  to  mem- 
ory some  such  hymn  as  "  God  bless  our  native  land," 
and  repeating  it  reverently  in  concert,  standing  as  they 
do  so. 

Many  more  suggestions  and  plans  might  be  added,  but 
what  I  have  given  is  enough  to  direct  the  attention  of 
Sunday-school  workers  to  this  most  important  but  sadly 
neglected  subject.  If  the  next  generation  is  to  be  one 
on  which  our  country  can  safely  rest,  its  patriotism  must 
!>•'  planted  now  while  they  are  young.  If  that  patriotism 
is  to  be  substantial  and  fruitful  it  must  be  upheld  by  re- 
ligion, and  in  no  place  better  than  the  Sunday  school  can 
the  love  of  country  be  intertwined  with  the  love  of  God. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


"Oh,  that  book  is  Sunday-schooly  !" 

"  Pooh  !     It's  a  Sunday-schooly  song  !  " 

"  Pshaw  !     That's  Sunday-school  talk  !  " 

AY  ho  hasn't  heard  such  sneers?  And  who,  that  is  a 
Christian,  has  not  been  pained  by  them  ? 

There  is  no  denying  it:  to  affix  the  term  "Sunday 
school"  to  a  thing  is  to  discredit  it  in  the  eyes  and  ears 
of  many  persons.  "  Sunday-schooly  "  is  a  sort  of  syn- 
onym for  "namby-pamby  "  and  "goody-goody." 

A  False  Impression. — Now,  all  well-informed  Chris- 
tians know  that  this  common  impression  is  a  false  one. 
They  know  that  the  Sunday  school  is  one  of  the  noblest 
of  earth's  institutions,  manly  and  womanly,  and  the 
making  of  men  and  women.  How  are  we  to  correct  this 
false  impression  ?  How  are  we  to  exalt  the  adjective, 
kw  Sunday-school, "  in  the  dictionary  of  the  world? 

The  fact  that  these  sneers  have  their  origin  with  the 
ignorant  and  the  malicious  does  not  free  us  from  the 
necessity  of  refuting  them.  Though  they  spring  from 
the  brains  of  infidels,  they  soon  come  to  influence  the 
thinking  even  of  believers;  and,  though  at  first  they  are 
caught  up  by  those  that  know  nothing  of  the  Sunday 
school  through  experience,  before  long  they  fill  with 
doubt  and  unrest  even  the  teachers  and  officers  of  our 
schools. 

164 


"  SUNDAY-SCHOOLY  "  165 

Of  course,  jests  and  criticisms,  though  false,  are  in  a 
sense  tributes  to  the  vitality  and  power  of  the  Sunday 
school.  Men  do  not  ridicule  and  oppose  dead  things  and 
nonentities.  But  this  sort  of  tribute  the  Sunday  school 
can  best  do  without. 

It  is  the  measure  of  truth  in  these  innuendoes  that  barbs 
their  satire.  Those  are  false  friends  of  the  Sunday 
school,  however  loud  their  laudations,  that  will  admit  no 
need  of  improvement  in  the  institution.  In  fact,  I  be- 
lieve that  within  the  present  century  the  Sunday  school 
has  to  take  as  many  and  as  great  steps  in  advance  as  it 
took  during  its  first  hundred  years.  It  is  for  all  Sun- 
day-school workers  to  accept  hints  for  progress  from 
whatever  source,  even  from  those  who  deserve  to  be 
classed  among  the  foes  of  the  Bible  school. 

"  Sissy  Talk." — Many  of  the  sneers  for  which  "  Sunday- 
schooly  "  stands  are  based  upon  the  alleged  "  sissy  talk  " 
heard  in  Sunday  schools.  "  Now,  my  dee-ah  children," 
the  teacher  or  superintendent  is  represented  as  saying, 
"  you  all  want  to  die  and  go  to  heaven,  don't  you  ? 
As  many  as  would  like  to,  may  hold  up  their  hands. 
Yes,  that  is  good,  very  good  indeed,  my  dee-ah  chil- 
dren." 

The  comic  papers,  and  the  humorous  departments  of 
some  of  our  magazines  that  should  be  in  better  business, 
often  put  such  silly  harangues  in  the  mouths  of  supposed 
visitors,  whom  the  superintendent  asks  to  "say  just  a 
few  words  to  the  children."  He  begins  in  some  such 
way  as  this : 

"You  must  be  good,  children,  and  mind  your  paws 
and  maws,  and  your  kind  teachers  in  the  Sunday  school. 


106  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

You  love  your  kind  teachers,  don't  you,  children  ?  As 
many  as  love  your  teachers,  hold  up  your  hands.  That 
is  exceedingly  gratifying,  children ;  a  very  creditable 
manifestation." 

Of  course,  those  that  are  familiar  with  the  modern  Sun- 
day school  recognize  this  as  an  absurd  caricature  of  the 
kind  of  talk  heard  there.  It  may  have  been  heard  in  the 
Sunday  schools  our  fathers  attended  ;  at  least,  the  comic 
writers  have  established  a  tradition  of  such  talk.  It  may 
still  be  found  in  some  out-of-the-way  schools.  But  in  the 
average  school  this  wishy-washy  mode  of  addressing  the 
children  is  about  as  rare  as  Hindustani. 

How  can  we  give  the  lie  to  this  slander,  and  dis- 
credit its  perpetrators?  Only  by  seeing  to  it  that  no 
"  baby  talk'1  is  allowed  in  our  Sunday  schools.  It  is  al- 
ways wiser  to  talk  a  little  over  the  heads  of  children 
than  to  "  talk  down  "  to  them.  They  will  forgive  pon- 
derous sentences,  and  will  respect  them  even  when  they 
do  not  understand  them  ;  but  baby  talk  they  will  not 
forgive.  Teachers  should  constantly  keep  in  mind  the 
most  mature  of  the  class,  and  not,  in  their  care  for  the 
more  stupid  and  childish,  neglect  the  quick  and  eager 
scholars.  Most  children,  indeed,  are  intelligent  beyond 
what  they  disclose  except  to  the  most  keen  and  sympa- 
thetic questioners,  and  teachers  are  generally  safe  in 
trusting  them  a  little  beyond  what  appea ranees  and 
replies  would  warrant. 

And  then,  as  to  giving  invitations  to  address  the  Sun- 
day school,  that  should  be  done  very  seldom,  and  with 
the  very  greatest  care.  It  is  a  good  rule  to  allow  no  one 
to  use  those  precious  moments  of  the  open  session  except 


"  SUNDAY-SCHOOLY  "  167 

on  business,  with  a  definite  purpose  in  view.  The  privi- 
lege of  addressing  a  Sunday  school  should  be  guarded 
as  jealously  as  if  it  were  Congress  or  Parliament. 

Pert  Replies. — One  of  the  stock  themes  of  the  comic 
paragraphers,  in  connection  with  these  imaginary  talks 
to  the  Sunday  school,  is  the  pert  reply  put  in  the  mouth 
of  some  urchin.  It  would  be  easy  to  make  a  large  col- 
lection of  these  Sunday  school  sayings  of  children,  most 
of  them  impudent,  all  of  them  absurd,  and  nearly  all  of 
them  manufactured  or  grossly  exaggerated.  We  have  all 
heard  Sunday-school  speakers  that  questioned  the  chil- 
dren ;  but  who  of  us  has  ever  heard  a  reply  so  startlingly 
ignorant  and  ingeniously  comical  as  those  in  which  the 
comic  papers  abound  ? 

These  alleged  "smart"  sayings  injure  the  Sunday 
school.  They  make  us  appear  to  be  instructors  in  pert- 
ness.  They  represent  our  schools  as  full  of  forward 
chits,  tolerated  and  even  encouraged.  I  do  not  think  I 
am  overrating  the  mischievous  influence  of  these  skits. 

To  counteract  them,  we  must,  in  the  first  place,  refrain 
from  quoting  them.  Unfortunately  they  are  too  often 
repeated  by  thoughtless  Christians,  and  I  have  even 
heard  them  related  in  talks  to  the  children  themselves. 
A  fine  example  for  them  !  In  the  second  place,  when  we 
hear  these  stories,  we  need  not  laugh.  Our  sober  silence 
will  be  a  protest,  even  if  we  do  not  care  to  utter  an  open 
rebuke.  And  in  the  third  place,  when  we  talk  to  the 
children,  we  must  make  our  questions  so  explicit,  our 
thoughts  so  clear,  and  our  bearing  so  reverent,  that  such 
answers  as  I  have  described  would  be  most  unlikely  to  be 
given. 


168  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

The  phrase,  "  Sunday  school  books,"  has  been  for  many 
years  a  term  of  contempt.  In  the  old  days  of  dismal 
memoirs,  whose  heroes  and  heroines  were  always  preter- 
naturally  good  and  invariably  short-lived,  this  contempt 
might  have  been  deserved.  Now,  however,  when  the  re- 
ligions literature  for  children  is  so  varied,  attractive,  sub- 
stantial, and  in  every  way  admirable,  "a  Sunday-school 
book"  should  be  a  title  of  honor.  But  old  prejudices  die 
hard,  and  this  among  them. 

I  suppose  the  only  way  to  erase  this  impression  regard- 
ing Sunday-school  books  is  for  each  worker  to  insist  on 
the  literary  as  well  as  the  religious  value  of  all  that  are 
placed  in  the  particular  library  with  which  he  has  to  do. 
The  school  should  have  a  library  committee,  selected 
with  great  care,  and  made  up  of  the  most  intelligent 
Christians  in  the  church.  When  you  get  a  capable  com- 
mittee, keep  them  as  long  as  they  will  serve.  The  books 
should  be  chosen,  not  merely  because  they  are  good,  but 
because  they  are  good  for  something.  They  should  be 
well- written  as  well  as  well-intentioned.  Crude  English, 
extravagant  or  silly  plot,  and  morbid  views  of  life  should 
not  be  tolerated.  The  catalogues  of  all  publishers  should 
be  scanned,  and  correspondence  should  be  had  with  other 
workers,  to  learn  of  the  best  books  they  have  discovered. 
In  proportion  as  our  schools  avail  themselves  of  the 
splendid  range  of  fascinating  religious  books  by  the  best 
authors  now  accessible,  this  reproach  of  "Sunday-school 
books  "  will  die  away. 

Sunday-school  Music. — Similar  things  may  be  said  of 
Sunday-school  songs.  There  is  not  a  cultivated  musician 
whose    lip    does    not    curl    at    the    mention    of   them. 


"  SUNDAY-SCHOOLY  n  169 

"  Twaddle ! "  he  exclaims.  u  Rubbish !  Silly  and  mean- 
ingless doggerel  set  to  trashy,  tinsel  tunes ! " 

In  the  main,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  the  musician  is 
right,  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  unexceptionable 
Sunday-school  song-books  exist — books  made  by  Chris- 
tians of  true  literary  and  musical  ability,  whose  songs 
sing  themselves  sweetly  to  the  mind  and  memory  as  well 
as  to  the  tympanum.  But  where  these  are  sold  by  the 
thousand,  the  jinglers  and  janglers  are  sold  by  tens  and 
hundreds  of  thousands. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  set  the  children  to  singing  "  Old 
Hundred  "  (though  that  would  not  hurt  them)  in  order 
to  avoid  these  tumty-tum  tunes  with  their  empty  words. 
I  certainly  am  not  urging  a  Sunday-school  programme  of 
Te  Deums.  It  is  entirely  possible  to  provide  the  school 
with  music  that  is  not  heavy  and  words  that  are  not  be- 
yond the  children's  understanding,  yet  both  music  and 
words  shall  be  of  the  purest  beauty.  And  in  proportion 
as  that  is  done,  will  this  old  sneer  at  the  Sunday  school 
pass  away. 

"Sunday-school  teaching"  is  another  phrase  that  car- 
ries with  it  a  certain  contempt.  It  is  supposed  to  be 
slipshod,  the  reverse  of  thorough  and  scholarly.  It  is 
compared  unfavorably  with  that  of  the  secular  schools. 

Often,  of  course,  the  reproach  is  justified,  though  the 
unceasing  wonder  should  be  that,  with  voluntary  attend- 
ance, with  only  half  an  hour  a  week,  with  little  or  no 
study  on  the  part  of  the  scholar,  and  with  unpaid  teach- 
ers, the  instruction  in  our  Sunday  schools  is  as  good  as  it 
is.  But  it  is  constantly  growing  better.  Our  ideals  are 
rising.     The  advantages  of  grading  and  of  examinations 


170  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

are  coming  to  be  understood.  Normal  classes  and  teach- 
ers'  meetings  are  more  and  more  used  and  valued.  Defi- 
nite results  are  sought  from  the  scholars,  and,  being 
sought  intelligently  and  persistently,  are  gained.  The 
discredit  of  Sunday  school  teaching  is  being  removed. 

"Kop,  Skip,  and  Jump."— Much  of  this  discredit  has 
sprung  from  what  has  been  so  repeatedly  urged  against 
what  it  has  pleased  some  to  call  the  "  hop-skip-and  jump  " 
method  of  Sunday-school  study.  In  reality,  if  we  admit 
that  some  parts  of  the  Bible  are  to  be  studied  more  care- 
fully than  others,  it  is  hard  to  see  how  we  are  to  avoid  a 
little  saltatory  exercise  in  getting  to  them. 

But  the  sting  of  the  criticism  may  be  removed  only  by 
careful  attention  to  the  surroundings  of  every  lesson,  and 
the  interspaces  between  them.  We  may  linger  longer  in 
Genesis  and  Joshua  than  in  the  intervening  books  of  the 
Hexateuch,  but  let  us  walk  through  them,  however 
rapidly,  and  not  jump  over  them.  Let  us  take  broad 
views.  Let  us  give  our  scholars  an  understanding  of  the 
Book  as  a  whole.  Let  us  rightly  divide,  when  we  divide 
at  all,  the  Word  of  truth. 

The  Traditional  Picnic— There  are  many  traditional 
features  of  the  Sunday  school  at  which  men  poke  fun. 
One  of  them  is  the  Sunday-school  picnic,  that  imaginary 
compound  of  ants  and  sandwiches,  jelly  and  trousers, 
lost  boys  and  distracted  guardians.  We  must  remove 
the  slight  foundation  of  truth  on  which  this  hilarious 
fiction  is  built,  if  we  want  to  see  it  fall  to  the  ground. 
Our  Sunday-school  picnics  must  be  well-planned  and 
well-officered.  Enough  older  folks  must  go  to  give  the 
affair  dignity  and  stability.     They  must  be  made  worth 


"  SUNDAY-SCHOOLY  M  171 

while, — not  mere  occasions  of  fret  and  anxiety.  Suffi- 
cient amusement  must  be  furnished,  carefully  thought  out 
in  its  minutest  details.  Let  the  food  be  abundant  and 
good,  but  do  not  allow  the  affair  to  centre  on  the  feast. 
Aim  at  higher  things,  at  the  school's  best  interests 
through  merry  intercourse  of  scholar  and  teacher  and 
the  ingathering  of  strangers.  If  this  is  done,  the 
antique  jests  concerning  Sunday-school  picnics  will  be 
forgotten. 

The  Reluctant  Scholar.— Another  picture  in  the  Sun- 
day-school gallery,  as  popular  fancy  has  it,  shows  the 
unfortunate  boy,  in  stiff,  best  clothes,  led  unwillingly  to 
Sunday  school,  looking  longingly  at  the  bold,  bad  boy 
who  taunts  him  from  behind  a  fence,  he  being  on  the 
way — lucky  fellow  ! — to  the  trout  pool  or  the  swimming 
hole.  The  view  of  the  case  is  reinforced  by  numberless 
jokes  based  on  the  Christmas  tree,  and  the  suspicious  in- 
crease of  the  school  just  before  the  season  of  gifts. 

A  growing  number  of  Sunday  schools  are  aiding  in 
the  demolition  of  these  jests  by  a  vigilant  eye  on  the 
attendance  all  the  year  around,  and  especially  by  making 
the  school  so  attractive  that  the  children  will  need  no 
compulsion,  but  will  attend  gladly,  and  even  feel  vastly 
aggrieved  if  compelled  to  remain  at  home. 

There  are  other  slurs  to  which  the  Sunday  school  is 
subjected.  There  is  the  traditional  collection,  with  its 
buttons  and  its  lead  coins.  When  our  schools  every- 
where adopt  the  envelope  system  of  class  collections,  and 
set  before  the  scholars  positive  aims  for  their  giving, 
adopting  some  different  object  of  benevolence  perhaps 
every  month,  then  we  shall  hear  the  last  of  this  slur. 


172  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

Also,  there  is  the  traditional  superintendent,  patroniz- 
ing the  boys,  chucking  the  girls  under  the  chin,  hammer- 
ing his  call-bell,  and  preaching  a  tedious  sermon  on  the 
lesson  in  the  course  of  the  opening  exercises.  He,  too, 
is  passing  from  men's  minds,  as  school  after  school  hunts 
out  for  its  superintendent  a  warm-hearted,  level  headed 
business  man,  of  few  words,  of  prompt  decision,  and  of 
quiet  manner. 

No  Sunday  school  worker  should  disregard  the  cari- 
catures of  this  beloved  Christian  institution,  or  care- 
lessly leave  them  to  die  a  natural  death.  The  honor  of 
the  Sunday  school  is  in  our  hands.  We  cannot  afford  to 
close  our  eyes  to  its  faults,  and  we  must  learn  to  dis- 
entangle the  helpful  truths  from  the  malicious  falsehoods 
in  these  sneers  and  jests  ;  we  must  profit  from  the  former 
while  we  repel  and  rebuke  the  latter. 

As  all  workers,  from  the  most  humble  teacher  to  the 
members  of  the  International  Committee,  thus  seek  with 
fearless  zeal  the  improvement  of  the  Sunday  school,  it 
will  grow  better  and  better,  and  the  ridicule  of  it  will 
grow  less  and  less,  until  some  day  these  jests  will  be 
swallowed  up  in  universal  love  and  applause. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN   THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL 

I  AM  the  proud  possessor  of  a  Sunday-school  hobby. 
Really,  my  stable  is  full  of  such  hobbies,  but  one  of  them 
towers  high  above  the  others,  like  the  wooden  horse  of 
the  Greeks  in  a  modern  toyshop. 

I  have  bestowed  upon  this  hobby  horse  the  descriptive 
name,  Proveit.  Proveit  is  a  determined  and  sagacious 
steed.  He  is  an  old  warhorse,  and  bears  the  wounds  of 
many  a  battle.  Blow  but  a  single  note  upon  the  bugle, 
and  my  good  steed,  Proveit,  pricks  up  his  ears. 

His  food  is  facts,  ground  fine  in  the  mill  of  logic.  He 
can  do  his  mile  a  minute  any  day,  yet  he  does  not  dis- 
dain the  plow  and  the  harrow.  He  is  worth  a  score  of 
those  witless  nags  named  Evasion,  Sayso,  and  Takeit- 
forgranted. 

I  am  not  shut  up  to  a  single  horse ;  thank  heaven,  no 
Sunday-school  teacher  is ;  but  if  I  were,  that  horse 
should  be  Proveit,  and  I  should  count  on  his  pulling  my 
pedagogical  carryall  triumphantly  over  any  road  and  up 
to  any  goal. 

In  line,  to  drop  allegory,  which  so  easily  becomes 
tangled  and  tiresome,  I  proclaim  myself  a  bigoted 
enthusiast  regarding  the  use  of  Christian  Evidences  in 
the  Sunday  school.  If  you  will  let  me  tell  you  a  bit  of 
my  own  experience,  it  will  explain  my  zeal,  and  serve 
me,  perhaps,  as  a  text. 

173 


174  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

When  I  was  a  boy,  I  had  the  most  devoted  of  Sunday- 
school  teachers.  They  were  holy  women,  for  the  most 
part,  consecrated,  painstaking,  prayerful.  They  did 
more  for  me  than  the  conceited  boy  realized,  and  more 
than  the  still-conceited  man  can  ever  hope  to  de- 
serve. 

But  one  thing  they  did  not  do  for  me :  they  did  not 
discover  my  doubts  ;  and  since  they  did  not  discover 
them,  naturally  they  did  not  dispel  them.  I  was  only  a 
boy,  but  I  doubted  the  inspiration  of  Scripture,  the 
authenticity  of  miracles,  the  divinity  of  Christ,  the 
Trinity,  the  atonement.  Unitarian  tracts  came  my 
way,  and  Unitarian  preaching  also,  fascinating  and 
forcible,  and  I  was  more  than  half  convinced. 

All  this  time  I  was  going  regularly  to  Sunday  school, 
answering  orthodox  questions  in  the  orthodox  way,  and 
my  teachers  knew  no  more  about  my  real  mental  con- 
dition than  about  the  Shah  of  Persia's.  One  blessed 
woman  among  them  wrote  me  a  letter  once  a  year 
urging  mo  to  join  the  church,  and  one  noble  man  asked 
me  once  if  I  called  myself  a  Christian.  I  replied  that  I 
did,  and  he  was  satisfied.     I  did,  but  I  wasn't. 

Then,  as  I  became  a  young  man  and  a  teacher  of 
others,  I  entered  upon  that  period  of  inner  struggle 
which  more  young  men  pass  through  than  is  often 
realized,  the  struggle  between  faith  and  infidelity.  My 
friends,  my  desires,  and  all  the  influences  that  descended 
from  Baptist  grandparents  and  Presbyterian  parents 
urged  me  to  orthodoxy.  My  own  unassisted  and  un- 
instructed  reasonings  pushed  me  irresistibly  into  the 
blackness  of  doubt. 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN   THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    175 

"  Believe  it,  because  it  is  in  the  Bible,"  I  was  told ; 
but  I  was  also  told  that  the  Bible  required  me  to  believe 
that  Joshua  caused  the  earth  to  stand  still,  and  I  was 
teaching  astronomy.  I  wanted  the  Bible  proved,  before 
men  proved  statements  by  the  Bible ;  and  no  one,  in 
Sunday  school  or  outside  it,  went  that  far. 

It  was  at  this  time,  when  I  was  greatly  troubled  over 
the  matter,  that  I  dug  up  out  of  a  dusty  corner  in  the 
college  library  a  book  I  shall  always  hold  in  reverence, — 
Mark  Hopkins's  "  Evidences  of  Christianity."  Well  do 
I  recall  the  thrill  with  which  I  read  that  volume.  It 
opened  a  new  world  to  me,  the  world  of  reason,  as 
against  mere  authority,  in  religion.  I  had  been  taught 
to  reason  in  a  circle:  "This  statement  is  the  inspired 
truth  of  God  because  it  is  in  the  Bible.  It  is  in  the 
Bible  because  it  is  the  inspired  truth  of  God."  Mark 
Hopkins's  u  Evidences  of  Christianity  "  lifted  me  out  of 
that  circle.  It  showed  me  that  Christianity  stands  con- 
fidently among  the  provable  facts.  It  disclosed  the 
reasonableness  of  the  supernatural,  demonstrated  the 
authenticity  of  the  Scripture  record,  and  established  a 
foundation  for  faith  on  which,  with  joy  and  surety,  I 
have  built  my  stronghold  of  creed.  I  have  since  found 
other  books  of  the  kind,  which  I  prefer,  and  the  ideal 
remains  to  be  written ;  but  I  and  thousands  of  others 
look  forward  to  meeting  Mark  Hopkins  in  the  land  of 
open  vision,  and  thanking  him  for  the  manly  service  he 
has  rendered. 

Now  that  service,  I  contend,  should  have  been  done 
me  in  the  Bible  school  and  the  church. — My  faith  or 
infidelity  should  not  have  been   left  to  the  chance  dis- 


170  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

covery  of  a  book  on  Christian  Evidences.  Nor  should 
the  same  risk  be  run  in  the  case  oi*  any  child. 

I  insist  that  the  Bible  is  not  even  half  taught  until  we 
teach  the  reasons  for  believing  it,  and  at  every  point 
arm  our  scholars  against  the  skepticism  of  the  age.  Un- 
less they  are  able  to  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in 
them,  nowadays  they  are  not  likely  to  keep  any  faith  in 
them  very  long,  still  less  to  inspire  faith  in  others. 

The  study  of  Christian  Evidences  should  be  inter- 
woven with  all  lessons  in  all  grades,  and  in  the  older 
classes  exclusive  attention  should  be  given  to  it  in  oc- 
casional courses  of  study.  It  will  put  backbone  into 
Bible  history,  vivify  all  your  exegesis,  vitalize  all  your 
theology,  bind  your  lessons  together  with  a  sturdy 
thread,  and  give  your  scholars  the  zeal  of  crusaders,  each 
assuming  that  royal  title,  Defender  of  the  Faith. 

I  know  that  there  are  objections  to  the  teaching  of 
Christian  Evidences  in  the  Sunday  school. 

In  the  first  place,  itissaid  that  the  discussion  of  Christian 
Evidences  suirjrests  more  doubts  than  it  settles.  The  asser- 
tion  is  :  ik  Take  it  for  granted  that  the  Bible  is  in  all  points 
true,  and  it  will  not  occur  to  your  scholars  to  doubt  it."  I 
wish  that  were  so,  but  it  is  not,  as  every  teacher  and 
every  parent  will  testify.  "  Where  did  all  the  frogs  come 
from?"  the  children  are  sure  to  pipe,  in  studying  the 
Exodus.  "Could  I  walk  on  the  water,  if  I  tried,  as  well 
as  Peter?  Why  not?  Where  did  Cain  get  his  wife? 
If  Jesus  was  God,  why  did  he  pray  to  God  ?  Where 
did  the  ravens  get  the  food  they  brought  to  Elijah? 
Why  was  Achan's  whole  family  killed  with  him  ?" — What 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    177 

teacher  is  there  to  whom  such  questions  are  not  as  famil- 
iar as  the  alphabet? 

The  impression  made  on  many  a  worried  teacher  is 
that  these  puzzlers  are  brought  out  merely  to  perplex 
and  annoy.  That  may  have  come  to  be  the  case,  but  I 
believe  that  at  the  start  they  were  honest  inquiries,  not 
to  be  repeated  if  honestly  and  satisfactorily  answered. 

But  when  the  teacher  does  not  meet  them  fairly,  when 
he  hesitates  and  shuttles,  when  he  procrastinates  and 
evades,  the  young  folks  come  not  unnaturally  to  the  con- 
clusion that  their  questions  cannot  be  answered,  that  the 
teacher  is  afraid  to  meet  them,  and  they  grow  up  with 
the  uneasy  impression  that  religion  is  based  on  unsound- 
ness and  unreason. 

Very  likely  the  scholar  will  go  on,  at  least  for  a  time, 
meekly  answering  the  teacher's  leading  questions  as  the 
teacher  plainly  desires  them  to  be  answered,  nourishing 
discontent  and  rebellion  in  his  breast.  Sometimes  an  in- 
cautious query  on  the  part  of  the  usually  prudent  in- 
structor will  disclose  the  lurking  infidelity.  Then  there 
will  be  a  flash  of  defiant,  bold  denial  that  will  startle  the 
teacher  and  the  class. 

Well  do  I  remember  such  an  instance.  It  was  a  young 
man,  a  church-member  of  long  standing,  a  college  grad- 
uate and  then  a  teacher,  and  he  had  been  under  my  Sun- 
day-school guidance  for  months  without  my  suspecting 
his  doubts.  One  day,  in  private  conversation,  I  touched 
somewhat  probingly  his  inner  convictions,  and  to  my 
amazement  he  confessed  almost  absolute  infidelity. 
Brought  up  in  the  atmosphere  of  easy  acceptance  of 
Christianity  which  I  have  described,  joining  the  church 


178  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

without  any  careful  scrutiny  of  the  foundations  of  his 
faith,  the  intellectual  clashings  of  college  life  had  knocked 
to  pieces  that  flimsy  structure  of  belief,  and  he  found 
himself  without  Christ  and  well-nigh  without  God. 

It  should  not  have  been  possible  for  that  young  man 
to  remain  in  my  class  for  those  months  without  my  dis- 
covering his  real  attitude  toward  the  gospel.  Such  an 
incident  should  not  be  possible  in  any  class.  Probably  I 
am  not  far  wrong  in  saying  that  nine-tenths  of  our 
classes  would  yield  just  such  cases  if  the  teachers  should 
search  out,  frankly  and  sympathetically,  their  pupils'  true 
opinions. 

These  young  folks  are  thinking,  nowadays,  far  more 
deeply  than  we  give  them  credit  for.  I  was  impressed, 
one  Sunday,  by  some  conversation  I  heard  on  the  way 
home  from  a  certain  church.  The  sermon  had  been  a 
plain,  simple  talk  on  some  matter  of  ethics,  easy  of  in- 
stant understanding  in  every  part,  and  very  likely  sim- 
plified by  the  good  man  who  preached,  in  the  hope  that 
something  of  what  he  said  might  be  appropriated  by  the 
lambs  of  the  flock.  Two  of  those  lambs  were  walking 
before  me, — two  young  boys;  and  what  do  you  think 
they  were  talking  about  ?     The  theory  of  evolution  ! 

That  was  in  Boston,  you  say.  Yes,  it  was  ;  but  every- 
where, I  believe,  we  older  folks  are  greatly  underrating 
the  capacity  of  young  heads  for  serious  thought.  Infidel- 
ity floats  in  the  air  as  pervasive  as  gnats  in  August. 
Young  folks  are  keen  to  catch  up  hints,  and  shrewd  at 
expanding  them.  This  is  in  truth  what  it  is  so  often 
called,  "  an  age  of  doubt,"  and  the  Sunday  school  should 
be  the  church's  main  barrier  against  that  doubt. 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN   THE   SUNDAY   SCHOOL    179 

So  far  is  it  from  being  true  that  a  full  and  frank  dis- 
cussion of  Christian  Evidences  will  suggest  doubts  and 
promote  skepticism  that  I  believe  the  very  opposite  to  be 
the  case.  I  believe  that  a  great  deal  of  the  prevailing 
skepticism,  a  skepticism  much  more  far-reaching  than  is 
often  appreciated  because  it  so  frequently  lurks  in  the 
church  itself, — I  believe  that  much  of  this  pervading 
doubt  and  unrest  is  due  to  the  universal  neglect  of  Chris- 
tian evidences  in  teaching  and  preaching. 

Especially  I  believe  that  the  measurable  desertion  of 
the  Sunday  school  and  church  by  the  young  men  and  the 
men  full-grown  is  duo  to  the  same  cause.  Any  neglect 
to  place  Christianity  on  the  manly  basis  of  proof,  un- 
rhetorical,  clear-headed,  logical  proof,  is  certain  to  alien- 
ate the  men.  There  are  no  statistics — would  that  there 
were ! — dealing  with  the  masculine  as  distinct  from  the 
feminine  element  in  our  Sunday  schools  and  churches, 
but  any  one's  observation  will  prove  to  him  that  young 
men  and  older  men  are  chiefly  found,  other  things  being 
equal,  in  those  churches  where  a  definite  system  of  doc- 
trine is  taught  with  the  most  aggressive  and  sturdy  con- 
sistency. There  are  few  things  that  men  like  better  than 
a  Q.  E.  D. 

But  I  can  hear  some  one  raising  this  objection : 
"The  Bible  is  an  inspired  book,"  he  says,  "and  I  want  to 
teach  it  like  an  inspired  book.  It  is  not  like  other  books. 
It  is  self-evidencing.  It  needs  no  assistance  from  human 
reason,  no  bolstering  of  human  logic.  I  need  only  pre- 
sent its  great  truths  and  leave  them  to  do  their  certain 
work.  To  apply  human  logic  is  to  discredit  the  authority 
of  Scripture  and  virtually  to  deny  its  inspiration." 


180  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

In  answer  to  this  objection, — an  objection  which  is 
merely  felt  quite  as  often  as  it  is  urged  openly, — I  wish 
first  to  say  that  I  do  not  like  the  words,  "human  logic." 
Logic,  whenever  it  is  logic  and  not  mere  pompous  asser- 
tion, is  divine.  Reason  is  of  God  and  not  of  the  dust  or 
the  devil. 

Unreason  is  to  be  feared,  always ;  but  reason,  never. 
It  is  by  reason  and  logic  that  we  conclude  the  Bible  to 
be  inspired,  and  the  doctrine  of  inspiration  has  nothing 
to  fear  from  reason  and  logic.  Indeed,  it  has  everything 
to  fear  from  their  opposites. 

It  is  a  commonplace  of  religious  history  that  the 
churches  have  been  weakest  under  a  regime  of  bald  au- 
thority, and  strongest  where  reason  and  logic,  evidence 
and  proof,  are  most  thoroughly  used  in  their  behalf. 
Protestants,  of  all  men,  should  remember  that  fact.  To 
say,  "  You  must  believe  this  because  it  is  in  the  Bible," 
is  to  adopt  the  method  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  is  to 
insure  a  plentiful  and  increasing  crop  of  skepticism. 

First  prove  the  Bible,  and  then  draw  your  proof-texts 
from  it.  How  it  dishonors  the  inspired  Volume  to  assert 
that  an  exhibition  of  the  evidence  of  its  inspiration  will 
detract  from  its  authority  !  Nowhere  is  that  authority 
stronger  than  among  those  who  can  give  a  reason  for  the 
faith  that  is  in  them. 

If  you  want  to  bring  up  in  the  Sunday  school  a  set  of 
young  people  who  will  revere  the  Bible  as  the  veritable 
word  of  God  to  sinful,  suffering  men,  who  will  esteem  as 
sacred  its  every  sentence,  draw  their  lives  from  its  pages 
and  defend  it  from  all  hostility,  you  will  accomplish  this  not 
by  emotional  appeals,  skin-deep  illustrations,  flimsy  sym- 


CHRISTIAN  EVIDENCES   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    181 

bols,  and  domineering  ipse  dixits,  but  by  the  quiet  laying 
of  reason's  foundation  stones,  upon  which  the  lofty 
structure  will  rise,  course  bound  to  course  with  the  firm 
cement  of  logic.  It  is  in  the  conviction  that  in  no  other 
way  can  the  authority  of  Scripture  be  laid  with  con- 
vincing and  permanent  power  upon  the  hearts  of  men 
that  I  urge  the  teaching  of  Christian  evidences. 

But  yet  one  more  objection  is  raised  against  this  proof- 
giving  that  I  advocate,  namely,  that  it  will  lead  to  long 
and  profitless  debates  in  the  lesson  hour.  I  have  even 
heard  it  charged  that  Sunday-school  teachers,  at  a  loss 
for  material  with  which  to  fill  up  the  time,  deliberately 
provoke  discussions  of  knotty  points,  a  favorite  being,  of 
course,  the  question  of  miracles. 

Such  wrangling  is  as  far  as  possible  from  my  thought, 
and  is  entirely  unnecessary  in  the  teaching  of  Christian 
evidences.  Indeed,  I  think  it  far  more  likely  to  take 
place  when  Christian  evidences  are  not  taught  than 
when  they  are.  If  these  points  of  doubt  are  evaded,  the 
suspicious  and  indignant  scholars  are  likely,  from  min- 
gled contempt  and  mischief,  to  bear  them  in  mind  and 
bring  them  up  again  and  again. 

On  the  contrary,  whenever  a  query  is  raised  or  a  diffi- 
culty presented,  it  should  be  met  promptly,  heartily,  and 
decisively.  Give  a  sharp,  clear-cut  statement  of  the  rea- 
son, the  evidence,  the  proof.  If  you  cannot  do  it,  frankly 
admit  your  ignorance  and  promise  to  have  an  answer 
ready  a  week  hence ;  then  keep  your  promise,  though  you 
must  consult  every  doctor  of  divinity  in  town.  The  next 
thing  to  wisdom,  you  know,  is  honest  confession  of  igno- 
rance. 


182  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

If  the  question  is  not  prompted  by  honest  doubt,  say 
that  you  will  answer  it  in  private,  after  the  class.  Then 
do  it.  Take  the  same  course  if  the  question  is  one  quite 
foreign  to  the  lesson  theme.  Also,  if  there  is  a  tendency 
to  debate  after  you  have  stated  the  reason  or  the  proof, 
cut  it  short  by  the  same  device,  postponing  discussion  till 
after  the  school  is  dismissed.  No  teacher  should  allow 
himself  to  be  side-tracked,  nor  will  he,  if  he  knows  his 
business. 

I  have  just  said  that  doubts  are  to  be  met  and  an- 
swered as  soon  as  they  are  expressed  in  the  class.  I 
should  go  further.  Doubts  are  to  be  answered  before 
they  reach  the  point  of  expression ,  nay,  before  they  arise 
at  all  in  the  scholar's  mind.  The  best  teaching  of  that 
straightforward  thing,  Christian  evidences,  is  by  indirec- 
tion. The  class  is  unconsciously  fortified  against  skepti- 
cism. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  for  the  teacher  to  introduce  the 
subject  of  infidelity  and  openly  to  combat  it.  Ingersoll 
would  have  made  very  little  stir  in  the  world  were  it  not 
for  the  advertising  he  ffot  from  Christian  denunciations. 

The  teacher  should  know  at  what  points  the  Bible  is 
assailed  most  commonly.  To  that  extent  and  for  that 
purpose  only,  he  might  well  have  a  personal  knowledge 
of  infidel  writers.  He  cannot  guard  his  class  against  the 
foe  unless  he  knows  from  what  quarter  and  in  what  man- 
ner they  will  attack.  But  the  less  the  scholars  know 
about  the  names  of  infidels,  their  books,  and  their  argu- 
ments, the  better.  Some  teachers  and  preachers  apply 
the  principle  of  vaccination,  and  introduce  a  little  of  the 
virus  of  infidelity,  thinking  that  by  counteracting  this 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN   THE   SUNDAY   SCHOOL    183 

specimen  portion  they  will  render  their  scholars  immune 
against  the  disease.  Generally  they  are  merely  implant- 
ing an  appetite  for  more. 

The  teaching  of  Christian  evidences  for  which  I  plead 
is  positive,  and  not  negative;  instructive,  and  not  com- 
bative ;  a  riveting  of  the  structure  of  faith  rather  than  a 
launching  of  thuuderbolts  against  its  assailants.  The 
teacher  should  remember  his  own  doubts  of  former  years, 
and  recall  how  he  overcame  them.  He  should  talk  with 
his  scholars  frankly  and  frequently  on  these  great  themes, 
so  as  to  note  the  beginnings  of  doubts  before  they  them- 
selves are  quite  aware  of  them.  In  preparing  every  les- 
son he  should  ask  himself  this  invariable  question : 
"What  points  in  this  passage  will  seem  difficult  of  belief, 
either  now  or  in  after  years?  What  opportunity  does 
the  lesson  give  for  the  strengthening  of  faith  on  the  fun- 
damentals of  Christianity?"  It  is  a  preventive  work 
that  I  am  advocating,  and  not  an  aggressive  work;  the 
planting  of  good  seed,  thick  and  sure,  and  not  the  up- 
rooting of  weeds.  Class  wrangles  and  fretful  arguments 
are  no  more  necessary  an  accompaniment  of  the  teaching 
of  Christian  evidences  than  of  the  teaching  of  geometry. 

One  other  objection,  and  one  only,  remains  to  be  men- 
tioned. Some  are  afraid  that  persistent  and  thorough 
attention  to  Bible  proofs  will  put  religion  on  a  merely  in- 
tellectual plane.  No  one  would  deprecate  this  more  than 
I  would.  All  religion  is  more  of  the  heart  than  the 
h<  ad,  and  the  deepest  truths  of  religion  are  inscrutable 
mysteries  to  the  mind.  A  merely  intellectual  religion  is 
as  dead  as  a  skeleton  in  the  physiologist's  laboratory. 

But  if  a  merely  intellectual  religion  is  a  skeleton,  a 


184  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

merely  emotional  religion  is  invertebrate,  and  it  is  about 
as  bad  to  have  flesh  without  a  backbone  as  to  have  back- 
bone without  the  flesh.  Even  the  heart  must  have  a 
bony  casket  for  defense  and  support,  and  even  the  most 
profound  religious  mysteries,  such  as  the  atonement  and 
the  Trinity,  are  believed  upon  reasonable  grounds  or  not 
actually  at  all. 

There  is  far  more  danger,  with  the  average  teacher, 
that  Sunday-school  instruction  should  give  too  little  for 
the  head  than  that  it  should  give  too  little  for  the  heart. 
Heart  appeals  draw  their  material  from  common  life  and 
feeling.  They  are  easily  made,  and,  usually,  as  easily 
forgotten.  They  suggest  themselves  in  connection  with 
all  lessons,  they  are  fully  treated  in  all  our  lesson  helps, 
they  demand  for  their  study  and  presentation  little  orig- 
inality or  labor. 

Christian  evidences,  on  the  other  hand,  require  some 
research  and  study.  One  must  be  prepared  for  objec- 
tions and  further  inquiries.  Material  for  this  mode  of 
teaching  is  not  easily  accessible,  nor  to  be  mastered  with- 
out diligent  application,  nor  to  be  presented  effectively 
without  originality  and  skill.  Often,  I  fear,  it  is  the 
sluggishness  of  teachers,  rather  than  their  assumed  fear 
of  placing  religion  on  a  merely  intellectual  basis,  that 
holds  them  to  questions  of  feeling  and  conduct,  and  away 
from  discussions  of  evidence  and  fact. 

But  if  the  teacher  will  seriously  undertake  these  stud- 
ies, if  he  will  earnestly  set  him  to  the  firm  establishment 
of  his  faith  and  the  faith  of  his  scholars,  he  will  find  in 
the  study  of  Christian  evidences  an  unparalleled  mental 
stimulus.     It  is  history,  and  history  that  deals  with  the 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    185 

noblest  men  and  women.  It  is  philosophy,  and  philoso- 
phy concerned  with  the  loftiest  themes.  It  is  literature, 
and  literary  criticism  of  the  highest  and  most  enlighten- 
ing type.  It  is  logic,  and  logic  dealing  with  no  abstract 
syllogisms,  but  with  the  nerve  and  blood  of  human  ex- 
istence. The  study  of  Christian  evidences  will  arouse 
the  minds  of  teacher  and  scholars  alike,  lift  the  lesson 
hour  from  the  furrows  of  stale  custom,  and  vitalize  the 
entire  Sunday  school  with  a  sense  of  achievement  and 
mental  mastery. 

Nor  will  the  heart  aspects  of  religion  suffer  from  this 
attention  to  the  head  aspects.  Show  me  the  reasonable- 
ness of  miracles,  and  the  Red  Sea  and  Carmel,  Cana  and 
Bethesda,  speak  with  new  authority  to  my  soul.  Prove 
to  me  that  John  wrote  his  Gospel,  and  the  fourteenth 
chapter  breathes  a  balm  it  could  not  have  for  me  be- 
fore. It  is  impossible  to  derive  the  highest  comfort, 
inspiration,  and  guidance  from  a  book  that  may  be 
largely  a  forgery,  however  beautiful  the  forgery  may  be. 
It  is  impossible  to  feed  upon  the  Scriptures  while  one  is 
harassed  with  half-confessed  fears  that  inspiration  is  a 
mere  dogma,  the  supernatural  an  outgrown  fancy,  and 
miracles  only  myths.  Prove  Christ  a  veritable  fact,  as 
real  as  Washington  or  Victoria,  as  real  as  your  next-door 
neighbor;  show  your  scholars  that  the  report  we  have 
of  his  words  and  deeds  is  as  trustworthy,  to  say  the 
least,  as  any  column  they  will  see  in  to-day's  newspaper, 
and  at  once  the  Bible  becomes  a  vital  Book,  and  Christ 
becomes  a  speaking  Friend,  and  the  discovery  breathes 
into  all  the  doctrines  of  Christ's  religion  the  breath  of 
life. 


186  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

Some  may  be  inclined  to  inquire  with  what  age  one 
should  begin  to  teach  the  evidences  of  Christianity. 
Should  proofs  of  the  Bible  be  introduced  in  the  primary 
department  ?  Should  the  youngest  scholars  be  taught, 
for  instance,  of  the  possibility  that  God  used  a  strong 
east  wind  to  sweep  the  Red  Sea  bare  before  the  Israel- 
ites ?  Shall  we  tell  them  how  the  Bible  was  brought  to- 
gether  and  how  it  came  down  to  us?  Shall  we  cast  our 
teaching  in  the  easy  traditional  mold,  or  shall  we  base 
our  teaching,  at  the  very  start,  on  the  best  and  wisest 
we  know  ? 

Well,  the  best  and  wisest  is  none  too  good  for  the 
children.  Certainly  it  will  discredit  the  Sunday  school 
if,  even  by  implication,  we  teach  them  anything  they 
must  unlearn  in  later  years.  Assuredly  we  must  speak 
the  truth,  even  to  babes. 

But  how  much  of  the  truth  shall  we  speak?  That  is 
the  question.  Their  young  minds  are  eager  to  spring  at 
you  with  Why  ?  and  How  ?  It  is  as  great  a  mistake  to 
ignore  their  mental  perplexities,  to  deprecate  them,  pal- 
ter with  them,  or  put  them  off,  as  it  is  in  the  case  of  their 
elders.  Sucli  treatment  is  pusillanimous  and  mischief- 
breeding.  No;  reason  must  be  allied  to  our  religious 
teaching  from  the  beginning,  and  must  be  expressed  as 
fast  as  it  can  be  understood. 

This  is  not  to  say  that  Christian  Evidences  will  be 
taught  to  our  little  ones  in  the  same  way  we  use  with 
older  classes ;  far  from  that. 

My  little  girl  once  asked  me,  "  Why  can't  we  see 
God,  if  he  is  here  ? "  How  should  I  answer  her  ? 
Should  I  enter  into  an  explanation  of  the  difference  be- 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    187 

tween  spirit  and  matter  ?  How  could  I  explain  it  when 
I  don't  in  the  least  understand  it  myself  ? 

I  answered  her  with  another  question :  "  What  do 
you  think  is  the  reason  ?  " 

"  I  guess  it's  because  we  haven't  the  right  kind  of 
eyes,"  she  replied,  and  added,  u  We  get  a  different  kind 
of  eyes  when  we  die,  don't  we?" 

Well,  of  course,  I  assented,  and  of  course  I  didn't  try 
to  go  farther.  Indeed,  I  am  not  sure  that  the  wisest 
man  that  ever  lived  could  go  farther. 

"  Why  did  Jesus  let  them  kill  him  ?  "  the  child  may 
ask,  remembering  the  mighty  miracles  the  Saviour 
wrought.  Shall  we  talk  about  the  atonement  ?  Shall 
we  introduce  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith,  which 
is  to  be  the  great  comfort  of  their  maturity  ? 

We  shall  make  a  simple  beginning  toward  the  fulness 
of  that  wondrous  truth.  "Jesus  wanted  just  to  be  a 
man,"  we  shall  say.  "  lie  wanted  to  be  like  us,  and  suf- 
fer as  we  do,  and  even  die  as  we  do,  that  he  might  show 
bow  God  loves  us."  That  does  not  go  very  far,  but  the 
child  can  go  as  far  as  it  goes,  and  it  is  true  as  far  as  it  goes. 

In  that  spirit  I  would  approach  all  the  child's  ques- 
tions. The  letters  the  child  uses  are  the  same  as  those 
used  by  Bacon,  its  figures  the  same  as  Newton's,  but  its 
combinations  of  letters  and  figures  must  be  immeasur- 
ably simpler.  "  C-a-t  cat,"  however,  is  on  the  way  to  the 
Novum  Organum,  and  "twice  two  is  four"  is  on  the 
way  to  the  Principia.  Even  the  little  folks  can  learn 
the  elements  of  Christian  Evidences. 

I  )ne  inquiry  sure  to  arise  when  teachers  begin  seri- 
ously to  consider  the  teaching  of  Bible  proofs  is,  "  What 


188  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

shall  I  do  with  the  higher  criticism  ?  "  That  is  a  real 
perplexity,  for  these  are  days  of  many  revolutions  in 
Bible  study,  and  views  regarding  the  origin  and  history 
of  the  sixty-six  sacred  books  are  advocated  in  orthodox 
pulpits  which  would  have  excommunicated  their  promul- 
gators a  century  ago.  Whether  the  book  of  Daniel  was 
written  under  the  Maccabees,  whether  Deuteronomy 
was  produced  after  the  division  of  the  kingdom, 
whether  the  fourth  Gospel  is  John  the  Apostle's  or  some 
very  different  John's, — such  questions  as  these  will  arise 
in  disheartening  number  before  the  teacher  has  gone  far 
in  his  own  Bible  studies.  That  he  should  meet  these 
doubts  fairly  and  solve  them  manfully  ought  not  to  need 
to  be  said. 

There  are  current  two  views  of  the  higher  criticism. 
One  makes  it  a  dragon,  and  runs  away  from  it ;  the  other 
makes  it  an  idol  and  worships  it.  Both  are  wrong. 
Only  one  question  is  worthy  to  be  asked  regarding  a  point 
of  higher  criticism,  and  that  is,  Is  it  true?  Not,  what 
evil  results  will  flow  from  it  if  it  is  true,  but,  h  it  true? 

Some  of  the  modern  Bible  scholars  are  irreverent, 
flippant,  conceited,  and  slash  with  their  opinionated  pen- 
knives in  the  face  of  all  the  moral  and  literary  convic- 
tions of  mankind.  Other  are  cautious,  profound,  rever- 
ent, of  sympathetic  insight,  of  masterly  comprehension. 
AVhen  such  men,  out  of  their  vast  erudition  and  in  eager 
love  of  God  and  his  Book,  choose  to  speak,  it  befits  you 
and  me  to  keep  silent  and  listen.  Tenchers  in  our  Sun- 
day schools  should  know  enough  about  modern  Bible 
studies  to  distinguish  between  these  two  classes  of 
scholars,  to  avoid  the  one  and  cleave  to  the  other. 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN   THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    189 

It  is  the  height  of  folly  to  insist  that  our  grandfathers 
discovered  all  there  is  to  know  about  the  Bible.  It  is 
also  the  height  of  folly  to  fear  that  any  discovery  will 
shake  the  immutable  truth  of  God.  It  is  most  necessary 
for  Sunday-school  teachers  to  maintain  minds  that  are 
open  to  all  proved  facts  about  the  Bible.  How  otherwise 
can  we  hope  to  prove  the  Bible  ?  But  an  open  mind 
need  not  be  open  at  both  ends.  Whatever  truth  we  ad- 
mit, we  need  never  let  our  faith  fall  through. 

It  is  most  necessary,  also,  for  gunday -school  teachers 
to  recognize  the  true  foundations  of  faith.  If  we  are  fool- 
ish enough  to  base  our  faith  in  God  and  his  Book  upon 
a  literal  acceptance  of  the  story  of  Joshua's  causing  the 
sun,  that  is,  the  earth,  to  stand  still,  then  all  argument 
and  evidence  that  this  story  is  merely  an  ancient  poem 
will  shake  our  faith  to  its  foundations. 

A  firm  sense  of  proportion  is  the  teacher's  invaluable 
aid.  He  must  learn  to  distinguish  between  essentials 
and  incidentals.  He  must  understand  what  he  can  well 
afford  to  let  go  and  what  he  must  defend  at  all  hazards. 
He  must  not  ride  hobbies,  either  of  conservatism  or  of 
radicalism,  or  he  will  assuredly  tumble  into  the  ditch. 
Believing  firmly  that  all  Scripture  is  inspired  of  God  and 
profitable,  he  will  hold  that  belief  not  as  an  iron  armor 
but  as  a  workman's  blouse.  To  him  the  Bible  will  be, 
not  a  dead,  paved  street,  but  a  ploughed  field,  ever  fertile 
for  new  harvests  of  thought  and  life.  In  that  spirit,  so 
far  as  his  opportunity  and  ability  permit,  he  will  master 
the  higher  criticism.  At  any  rate,  he  will  not  let  it  mas- 
ter him. 

I  should  like  to  see  our  Sunday-school  teachers  every- 


190  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

where  forming  classes  in  Christian  evidences.  Of  course, 
the  Bible  should  be  known  thoroughly,  from  cover  to 
cover.  No  one  can  prove  a  sum  till  he  has  done  it, 
and  no  one  can  prove  a  Bible  of  which  he  is  ignorant. 

I  was  told  the  other  day  of  a  class  of  young  women 
within  ten  miles  of  Boston  who,  with  their  teacher,  came 
recently  to  the  serious  conclusion  that  the  ark  of  the 
tabernacle  was  a  sort  of  photograph  of  Noah's  ark  which 
the  children  of  Israel  carried  around  with  them.  It  may 
be  imagined  how  luminous  a  discussion  of  the  authorship 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel  could  be  carried  on  by  such  a  class 
and  teacher. 

No  ;  this  study  of  Christian  evidences  presupposes  a 
passable  knowledge  of  the  contents  of  the  Bible.  But  if 
the  study  is  earnestly  followed,  Bible  knowledge  will 
surprisingly  develop  with  it. 

These  teachers'  classes  in  Christian  evidences  should  be 
built  up  around  a  text-book.  If  you  want  a  small  and 
attractive  book,  I  know  of  nothing  better  than  the 
"Short  Manual  of  Christian  Evidences,"  by  Professor 
Fisher,  of  Yale  University.  It  is  published  by  Scribner's, 
and  its  price  is  seventy-five  cents.  I  might  name  other 
books,  but  that  would  only  confuse  you  needlessly. 

A  necessary  element  in  such  a  study  is  the  history  of 
the  manuscripts  and  of  our  English  translations,  a  fasci- 
nating subject,  to  be  pursued  with  the  aid  of  such  popular 
volumes  as  "  The  Parchments  of  the  Faith,"  by  Merrill, 
sold  by  the  Baptist  Publication  Society  for  $1.25,  and 
"Our  Sixty-Six  Sacred  Books,"  by  Rice,  sold  by  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union  for  from  fifteen  cents 
to  half  a  dollar.     After  you  have  read  such  books,  you 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    191 

will  almost  invariably  carry  on  the  subject  with  the  aid 
of  more  elaborate  treatises. 

My  thought  for  these  teachers'  classes  in  Christian 
evidences  is  very  simple.  Every  teacher  should  own  the 
text- book,  for  later  reference  and  for  lending  to  his 
scholars,  as  well  as  for  present  use.  All  having  read 
the  chapter  assigned,  the  teachers  will  come  together  to 
talk  it  over.  The  leader  will  have  studied  the  same 
subject  in  some  larger  and  fuller  book.  He  will  have 
written  out  a  set  of  questions  covering  the  assigned 
ground,  and  these  are  to  be  answered  by  the  teachers. 
They  will  be  so  framed  as  to  bring  out  discussion  and 
perhaps  excite  debate.  A  brief  essay  on  the  subject  will 
be  read,  at  each  meeting  by  a  different  teacher.  The 
hour  will  close  with  the  discussion  of  difficult  points 
that  have  come  up  in  recent  lessons  or  are  anticipated  in 
the  lessons  to  come. 

In  all  this  work  the  teachers  should  be  encouraged  to 
make  their  own  original  contributions  to  Christian  evi- 
dences. One  of  them,  for  example,  in  reading  the  story 
of  Samuel,  has  been  struck  with  the  account  of  the  evil 
life  of  that  good  man's  sons,  and  is  impressed  with  the 
honesty  of  the  Scriptures.  Certainly  a  false  historian 
would  have  made  Samuel  bring  up  his  sons  in  godliness, 
and  would  have  told  how  nobly  they  succeeded  him  and 
carried  on  his  line.  Such  a  bit  of  evidence  is  worth  to 
its  discoverer  many  pages  from  a  book,  and  will  be  pre- 
sented by  him  with  peculiar  force  to  others. 

As  to  the  aims  of  this  study,  they  will  be  simple,  and 
easily  attained.  There  are  certain  points  the  Sunday- 
school  teacher  should  know  with  all  ardor  of  conviction. 


192  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

They  are  these:  God  is.  Christ  lived  in  the  flesh.  The 
Bible  is  what  it  pretends  to  be.  The  truth  of  miracles, 
of  the  supernatural.  The  reality  of  immortality,  of 
heaven,  of  hell.  The  fact  of  the  atonement.  The  doc- 
trines of  the  Trinity,  of  regeneration,  of  inspiration. 

If  the  teacher  is  himself  convinced,  through  and 
through,  of  those  eight  truths,  ami  if  he  is  able  to 
convince  others,  meeting  their  arguments  and  resolving 
their  doubts,  his  study  of  Christian  evidences  has  re- 
ceived its  practical  crown.  His  Sunday-school  work  has 
become  more  of  a  science  and  less  of  a  rhapsody.  It 
has  attained  the  businesslike  methods  of  secular  schools. 
It  has  reached  the  dignity  of  the  law  courts.  It  obtains 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  young  men.  It  binds  the 
intellect  to  the  heart  and  both  to  Christ.  It  not  only 
wins  souls,  but  it  holds  them  after  they  are  won. 

And  now  perhaps  I  cannot  close  this  chapter  in  a 
better  way  than  by  giving  an  illustration  of  just  what  I 
mean  by  the  teaching  of  Christian  evidences. 

I  will  suppose  that  you  are  to  teach  a  lesson  that  most 
teachers  use  annually,  the  Easter  lesson,  the  resurrection 
of  Christ.  This  lesson  affords  you  an  easy  chance  to 
exhort.  You  may  indulge  in  word  pictures  of  the  scene. 
You  may  enter  into  a  long  description  of  Eastern  tombs 
and  Roman  guards.  You  may  drill  into  the  class  the 
precise  order  in  which  the  women  and  the  various  dis- 
ciples visited  the  tomb.  You  may  warn  your  scholars  of 
the  certainty  of  death,  and  impress  upon  them  the  truth 
that  Christ  is  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life.  You  may 
carry  out  this  programme,  through  which  that  class  has 
already  passed  perhaps  a  dozen  times,  and  you  will  prob- 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    193 

ably  leave  them  with  little  firmer  grasp  on  the  great 
fact  of  the  resurrection  than  they  had  before.  "  O,  if  I 
only  knew  that  Christ  rose  from  the  dead  !  O,  if  I  could 
only  be  sure  that  my  dear  one  is  still  alive ! "  Who  has 
not  heard  that  cry  many  and  many  a  time,  as  I  have 
heard  it,  from  those  who  have  enjoyed  all  their  lives  the 
ministrations  of  the  pulpit  and  the  Sunday  school  ? 

Ah,  teachers,  when  you  next  have  a  chance  at  that 
blessed  Easter  lesson,  use  it  as  your  God  sent  opportu- 
nity to  banish  such  doubts  forever!  The  proofs  of 
Christ's  resurrection  are  many,  and  varied,  and  irresist- 
ible. Point  to  the  narratives  themselves.  Let  the  class 
read  them  aloud,  noting  how  simple  they  are,  how  nat- 
ural, how  apparently  honest  and  straightforward.  Point 
out  some  of  the  seeming  discrepancies,  like  the  differ- 
ences in  the  accounts  regarding  the  arrival  of  the  women. 
Show  how  these  discrepancies  may  be  explained,  but  at 
the  same  time  remind  the  class  that  a  fictitious  narrative 
would  have  avoided  discrepancies,  especially  those  that 
lie  so  plainly  on  the  surface.  Contrast  this  simple,  hon- 
est, convincing  narrative  with  a  false  account  of  the 
same  event,  the  product  of  later  ages,  the  so-called  Gospel 
of  Peter.     Read  to  the  class  this  extract : — 

"In  the  night  before  the  Lord's  Day,  the  soldiers 
being  on  guard  two  and  two  about,  there  arose  a  great 
voice  in  heaven ;  and  they  saw  the  heavens  opened,  and 
two  men  descending  thence  with  great  light  and  ap- 
proaching the  tomb.  And  that  stone  which  had  been 
placed  at  the  door  rolled  away  of  itself  to  one  side,  and 
the  tomb  was  laid  open,  and  both  the  young  men  went 
in.     On  seeing  this,  the  sentinels  woke  the  centurion  and 


194  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

the  elders  (for  they  also  were  on  the  watch);  and  while 
they  were  relating  what  they  had  seen,  they  saw  again 
coming  out  of  the  tomb  three  men,  the  two  supporting 
the  one,  and,  following  them,  a  cross.  And  of  the  two 
the  head  reached  the  heaven,  but  that  of  him  whom  they 
led  overpassed  the  heaven.  And  they  heard  a  voice  out 
of  heaven  saving,  4  Hast  thou  preached  obedience  to  them 
that  sleep?'     And  from  the  cross  came  answer,  '  Yes.'  " 

Now  that  is  the  way  myths  grow  up,  and  that  is  the 
way  they  are  written.  The  miraculous  predominates. 
It  is  grotesque  and  exaggerated.  It  is  miracle  unrelated 
to  character,  unexplained  by  any  of  the  necessities  of  the 
case.  In  the  true  account,  on  the  contrary,  the  miracu- 
lous element  is  minimized  ;  it  is  unforced ;  it  springs 
simply  and  easily  from  the  circumstances.  It  is  inevi- 
table. 

Brooding  over  these  veracious  accounts,  you  will  dis- 
cover many  internal  evidences  of  their  veracity.  For 
example,  the  prominence  given  to  women.  While  this  is 
entirely  in  accord  with  the  rest  of  the  Gospels  and  with 
what  we  have  come  to  look  upon  as  natural  and  beauti- 
ful, what  ancient  writer,  if  he  were  manufacturing  a  nar- 
rative, or  what  ancient  rumor,  growing  slowly  to  a  myth, 
would  have  made  a  Tew  weak  women  the  discoverers  and 
heralds  of  the  resurrection  ?  Would  it  not  have  been 
John,  perhaps,  to  whom  this  honor  would  have  been 
assigned,  or  Peter,  or  James?  or  would  it  not  have  been 
some  superb,  thunder-smitten  delegation  from  the  San- 
hedrim ?  But,  "  The  first  day  of  the  week  cometh  Mary 
Magdalene" — who  would  ever  have  thought  of  that? 

Again,  what  false  historian  would  have  recorded  the 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN   THE   SUNDAY    SCHOOL    195 

incredulity  of  the  disciples  ?  '"  Some  doubted,"  it  is  re- 
corded in  Matthew.  "They  believed  not  them  which 
had  seen  him  after  he  was  risen,"  says  Mark.  The 
women's  words  seemed  to  the  disciples  M  as  idle  tales," 
says  Luke.  Thomas  was  unbelieving,  and  the  two  of 
Emmaus  had  no  hope. 

Again,  bid  the  class  note  the  little  details,  such  as  none 
but  eye-witnesses  would  recall  or  dream  of  writing, — the 
linen  cloths  lying,  the  folded  napkin,  the  imagined  gar- 
dener, John  outrunning  Peter,  the  table  blessing  at  Em- 
maus, the  broiled  fish  and  honeycomb, — these  are  touches 
that  need  only  to  be  pointed  out  to  confirm  the  narrative 
wonderfully  as  natural  and  true. 

Pass  on  to  consider  how  many  appearances  of  the  risen 
Lord  are  recorded,  and  all  as  naturally.  It  is  impossible 
to  explain  away  so  many  independent  events.  Consider 
also  the  number  of  persons  involved,  as  many  as  five  hun- 
dred at  one  time.  They  could  not  all  have  been  subject 
to  hallucinations.  Consider  the  sudden  cessation  of  these 
appearances  at  the  end  of  the  forty  days ;  whereas,  if 
they  had  merely  been  the  visions  of  dreamy  zealots,  they 
would  have  increased  in  number  as  the  church  grew. 
Consider  the  wonderful  change  produced  in  the  apostles, 
raised  in  an  hour  from  the  sad  depression  caused  by 
the  crucifixion  to  an  exalted  enthusiasm  that  braved  all 
dangers,  sent  them  to  proclaim  the  good  news  in  the 
temple  itself,  and  brought  about  Pentecost.  Was  this 
wrought  by  an  empty  dream  of  an  unreal  resurrection  ? 
Consider  the  most  striking  case  of  all,  that  lawyerlike 
Paul,  transformed  in  an  instant,  at  sight  of  the  risen 
Christ,  from  a  persecutor  to  an  apostle.     Remember  how 


196  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

he  based  his  preaching  upon,  the  resurrection,  and  de- 
clared that  if  Christ  were  not  raised,  it  was  all  vain. 
Kemember  that,  in  the  confident  faith  inspired  by  the 
resurrection  and  by  that  alone,  thousands  upon  thou- 
sands during  the  succeeding  years  gave  that  supreme 
evidence  of  belief,  a  martyr's  death.  Was  Paul  be- 
fooled ?  No  keener  man  ever  lived  than  he.  Were  the 
martyrs  visionaries  ?  Men  do  not  lay  down  their  lives 
for  visions. 

Suppose  it  is  argued  that  Christ  did  not  die,  but  merely 
swooned  on  the  cross.  What,  then,  became  of  him  ? 
When  and  where  did  he  die  ?  Could  the  disciples  have 
hidden  him  ?     Would  he  for  a  minute  have  consented  ? 

Suppose  the  enemies  of  Christ  carried  away  his  body, 
and  thus  the  tomb  was  found  empty.  Why,  then,  did 
they  not  produce  his  body,  and  thus  end  the  story  of 
his  resurrection  ? 

Was  it  all  a  myth  ?  There  was  no  time  for  a  myth  to 
grow  up.  Was  it  a  falsehood  ?  The  character  of  the 
disciples  renders  the  thought  impossible.  By  the  record, 
tested  in  every  part,  and  by  the  results,  viewed  under 
every  light,  the  resurrection  of  Christ  is  one  of  the  best 
attested  facts  of  history. 

Well,  it  is  in  about  that  fashion  that  I  would  ride  my 
hobby  horse,  Proveit.  And  I  contend  that  such  a  mode 
of  teaching  the  Easter  lesson  would  lead  irresistibly  to 
all  the  ethical  conclusions  obtainable  from  any  other  way 
of  teaching,  all  the  comfort,  all  the  joy,  all  the  adora- 
tion, and  would  establish  them  upon  foundations  that 
cannot  be  shaken  by  the  shock  of  death. 

Oh,  to  be  sure  of  one's  religion !    What  a  strength  it 


CHRISTIAN   EVIDENCES   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    197 

is !  Not  to  hold  one's  faith  tentatively,  at  the  mercy  of 
a  skeptic's  sneer.  Not  to  falter  before  the  pompous  emp- 
tiness of  infidel  fallacies.  Not  to  faint  under  the  test  of 
sorrow  or  gloom  or  mortal  extremity.  To  have  done 
with  doubt,  once  and  forever.  To  know,  and  know  that 
you  know.  To  be  able  to  build  on  firm  foundations,  im- 
mutable and  eternal  as  truth  itself.  All  this  is  the  priv- 
ilege and  therefore  the  duty  of  every  Christian ;  to  be 
led  into  it  is  the  right  of  every  Sunday-school  scholar. 
May  he  who  became  the  Word,  the  incarnate  Reason  of 
Jehovah,  guide  us  and  enable  us  to  guide  our  classes  to 
the  reason  and  the  proof  of  his  gospel ! 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

CIIK1STMA  S    F  EST  I VITIES 

Am  I  wrong  in  thinking  that  I  see  a  gradual  drawing 
away  from  Christmas  celebrations  in  the  Sunday  school  ? 
I  hope  I  am.  Teachers  and  officers,  however,  are  very 
likely  to  shrink  from  the  labor  involved,  to  remember 
past  turmoils,  and  to  devise  some  makeshift  of  a  celebra- 
tion that  is  no  pride  to  themselves  or  satisfaction  to  the 
children. 

For  the  children,  bless  them  !  are  not  weary  of  these 
things.  The  glittering  tree  and  the  jovial  Santa  still  fas- 
cinate them  as  they  fascinated  my  own  well  remembered 
boyhood,  when  they  formed  the  sparkling  cynosure  of 
the  entire  year.  And  it  seems  a  pity,  since  so  much 
pleasure  can  be  given  so  easily  to  so  many,  to  minimize 
it  or  do  away  with  it  altogether. 

Simple  Celebrations.— I  say  "  so  easily,"  though  I  am 
well  aware  that  the  adverb  will  arouse  sarcastic  smiles. 
But  I  believe  we  make  far  too  much  fuss  over  our 
Christmas  rejoicings,  losing  in  multiplicity  of  parade 
the  beautiful,  simple  lesson  of  the  Advent.  An  ideal 
Christmas  celebration  may  be  purchased  at  little  cost  of 
money,  time,  or  strength.  No  one  person,  and  no  few 
persons,  should  be  allowed  to  bear  the  burden  of  it,  but 
it  should  be  divided  among  many.  Where  the  Sunday 
school  is  small,  by  all  means  neighboring  schools  or  the 

198 


CHRISTMAS   FESTIVITIES  199 

schools  of  the  entire  town  should  unite  for  the  festival, 
and  thus  put  in  practice,  that  evening  at  least,  one  of  the 
chief  teachings  of  Christmas.  Divide  the  work  among 
many  committees,  each  with  a  responsible  head.  Let 
one  group  plan  the  decorations,  let  a  committee  obtain 
the  evergreen  boughs,  another  fashion  the  wreaths, 
another  put  them  in  place.  Set  a  committee  to  ar- 
range the  singing.  Set  another  committee  over  the 
ushering.  The  tree,  the  exercise,  the  presents, — divide 
the  work  into  little  parcels,  and  then  no  back  will  break. 
Besides,  far  more  good  will  be  gained  if  many  are  thus 
interested  in  the  celebration  than  if  only  a  few  receive 
the  rewards  of  service.  And  if  any  superintendent  says 
it  is  easier  to  do  the  thing  himself  than  to  superintend 
so  many,  ask  him  the  meaning  of  the  name  of  his  office. 

In  this  committee  work  utilize  as  far  as  possible  the 
young  folks  themselves.  They  will  enjoy  it,  and  their 
loyalty  to  the  school  will  be  increased  by  it.  Their  in- 
terest in  the  celebration  will  be  proprietary.  Utilize 
also  the  skilled  force  of  the  young  people's  society. 
They  will  feel  complimented,  and  the  service  will  bind 
the  two  organizations  more  firmly  together. 

Overcrowded  Programmes. — The  matter  of  time  will 
do  much  to  decide  whether  the  celebration  is  dreaded,  or 
anticipated  with  pleasure.  Most  of  such  festivals  are 
sadly  overcrowded.  Time  carefully  each  exercise,  mak- 
ing generous  allowance  for  "getting  up  and  sitting 
down,"  for  coming  in  and  going  out,  and  for  the  unex- 
pected hitches  that  are  sure  to  come.  Leave  liberal 
gaps,  as  men  leave  gaps  between  connecting  railroad 
rails,   because   "heat    expands."     Rehearse  everything, 


200  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

and  "get  a  good  ready."  Insist  on  promptness.  Set 
the  hour  early,  and  let  people  know  you  will  begin  at  the 
hour,  though  only  ten  are  there.  Then,  keep  your  word. 
Close  early,  before  the  fidgets  come.  "  Early  beginning 
and  early  to  close,  and  oh,  how  successfully  everything 
goes ! " 

Our  Christmas  celebration  should  be,  as  far  as  possible, 
a  re-embodiment  of  the  Advent  Day  itself.  There  are 
four  simple  elements  of  that  great  event,  and  if  we  in- 
troduce those  four  elements  into  our  Christmas  exercises, 
they  will  be  well-rounded,  attractive,  and  fruitful. 
There  is :  — 

First,  upward  ;  the  thought  of  the  star;  the  element 
of  worship. 

Second,  downward  ;  the  angels'  song  of  good  will ; 
the  element  of  charity. 

Third,  inward;  the  manger  and  its  blessedness;  the 
element  of  rejoicing. 

Fourth,  outward;  the  magi  and  their  offerings;  the 
element  of  gifts. 

i.  Upward.— Who  has  not  attended  Christmas  festi- 
vals that  might  as  well  have  been  festivals  in  honor  of 
Mercury  or  Juno  ?  The  real  thought  of  Christmas  has 
scarcely  entered  at  all  into  the  celebration.  I  have  seen 
an  evening's  Christmas  entertainment,  in  a  Sunday 
school,  that  was  based  entirely  on  the  brownies ;  another 
year,  entirely  on  the  characters  of  Mother  Goose's 
melodies ! 

Now  I  believe  that  the  Christmas  concert  should  be  a 
gain  to  the  religious  life  of  every  participant  and  auditor. 
I   would    precede   it,   on   Christmas   morning,   with   an 


CHRISTMAS   FESTIVITIES  201 

early  morning  prayer  meeting — a  sunrise  prayer  meet- 
ing. Such  a  meeting  has  been  held  annually  in  my  own 
church ;  it  is  very  largely  attended,  by  young  and  old, 
and  scores  take  part.  It  gives  a  spiritual  tone  to  the 
entire  day.  It  is  the  best  possible  preparation  for 
Christmas  evening. 

At  the  very  outset  of  the  evening's  exercises,  make 
plain  the  predominant  purpose  of  the  gathering, — that 
it  is  to  exalt  the  Saviour  of  men.  Get  the  most  eloquent 
speaker  obtainable  to  present  the  theme,  briefly  but  most 
winsomely.  And  I  would  follow  this  with  several  short, 
simple  prayers,  in  swift  succession.  One  of  these  prayers 
may  well  be  given  in  brief,  easy  sentences,  or  parts  of 
sentences,  which  the  children,  even  the  youngest,  will  re- 
peat after  the  speaker,  all  heads  being  bowed. 

Having  in  some  such  ways  as  these  gained  the  upward 
look,  next  make  sure  of: — 

2.  Downward. — I  have  known  Sunday  schools  that 
gave  up,  by  vote,  their  Christmas  festivities,  especially 
the  gift  part,  in  order  to  use  the  money  for  the  pleasure 
and  comfort  of  poor  children.  This  spirit  of  self-denial 
can  be  cultivated  in  other  ways,  throughout  the  year, 
and  in  our  well-to  do  Sunday  schools  it  is  not  necessary 
to  abandon  the  Sunday-school  "  treat "  in  order  to  get 
the  element  of  charity  into  the  celebration. 

In  some  way,  however,  this  element  must  be  incorpo- 
rated. Make  a  strong  appeal  to  the  parents.  Ask  them 
to  give  each  child  a  chance  to  earn  something  to  give  to 
the  poor  at  Christmas.  Do  not  consider  your  festival  in 
commemoration  of  the  Christ-child  a  success  unless  each 
of  his  children  has  brought  something  of  his  own,  though 


202  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PKOBLEMS 

only  a  stick  of  candy,  to  give  away  to  Christ's  other, 
less  fortunate,  children.  And  then  let  the  scholars  de- 
liver these  gifts  in  person,  going  about  in  groups  under 
the  conduct  of  their  elders. 

3.  Inward. — Christmas  affords  an  unexampled  oppor- 
tunity to  exalt  the  church  in  the  children's  minds  as  the 
centre  of  joy,  even  of  jollity.  As  I  remember  my  own  boy- 
hood (and  I'm  a  good  deal  of  a  boy  still  !),and  as  I  watch 
other  children,  I  conclude  that  the  Christmas  jollity  centres 
in  Santa  and  the  tree.  Who  tires  of  the  tree  ?  Who  wants 
to  bring  in  the  gifts  in  prosaic  wicker  baskets?  Never 
the  children.  Who  wearies  of  jovial  St.  Nicholas  ?  The 
grown-ups  that  must  wear  the  wig  and  furs  and  for  one 
short  evening  unbend  their  precious  dignity  ;  not  the 
children.  Why,  I  saw  once  in  a  department  store  a 
"  Santa  Claus  "  writing  in  a  book  the  Christmas  wishes 
of  the  boys  and  girls  as  they  came  up  and  revealed  them, 
— the  surliest  fellow,  as  to  eyes,  voice,  and  evident  spirit, 
I  ever  saw,  a  fellow  with  no  heart  at  all  for  his  blessed 
task ;  and  yet  the  dear  children  flocked  around  him  like 
bees  to  a  bunch  of  old-fashioned  phlox.  It  must  have 
been  the  long  white  beard. 

Have  a  tree,  if  it  is  only  a  stick ;  have  a  Santa  Claus, 
if  he  is  only  a  stick.  Get  a  Santa  who  will  omit  the 
cheap  jokes  and  exalt  Christ.  But  don't  leave  out  the 
fun. 

Much  of  this  is  true  also  of  the  Christmas  "  exercise," 
or  "cantata,"  or  "concert,"  or  what  you  choose  to  call  it. 
Circumstances  differ  so  widely  that  I  cannot  name  for 
you  good  exercises,  though  that  would  be  a  useful  serv- 
ice.    Your  best  plan  is  to  send  for  samples  galore,  and 


CHRISTMAS   FESTIVITIES  203 

make  your  choice.  You  will  have  ample  range.  Santa 
Las  been  exploited  in  every  possible  phase.  They  have 
even  gone  on  to  Mrs.  Santa  and  Santa  Junior,  and  Santa's 
sisters  and  cousins  and  aunts.  A  good  exercise  will  in- 
troduce the  element  of  surprise,  it  will  not  give  the  chil- 
dren much  acting  to  do,  it  will  be  simple  and  remem- 
berable,  and  it  will  contribute  unmistakably  to  the 
genuine  Christmas  spirit;  it  will  exalt  Christ.  Some- 
times you  can  get  best  results  by  using  the  best  parts  of 
more  than  one  exercise. 

Home  made  Exercises.— It  is  not  at  all  necessary 
always  to  send  away  for  an  exercise  in  order  to  have  a 
thoroughly  successful  Christmas  celebration.  Make  your 
own.  Advertise  it  as  an  original  exercise,  and  you  will 
increase  the  interest  considerably. 

One  home-made  exercise  might  be  called  "  The  Light- 
ing of  the  Tree."  The  tree  will  be  all  ready  for  lighting, 
and  will  be  in  view  as  the  audience  gathers,  but  the 
lighting  of  each  candle  will  come  as  a  response  to  some* 
appropriate  Scripture  verse  repeated  by  a  scholar,  or 
some  Christmas  poem  recited,  or  some  Christmas  song 
sung.  Not  until  the  last  child  has  made  his  contribution 
will  the  tree  shine  out  in  its  full  beauty.  Of  course,  the 
pastor  will  draw  a  little  moral  from  this. 

Another  home-made  exercise  might  be  called  "  Christ- 
mas Questions."  It  would  consist  merely  of  a  series  of 
questions  and  answers,  the  former  propounded  by  the 
superintendent  and  the  latter  given  by  the  children. 
Now  a  single  child  would  reply,  now  a  class  in  concert, 
now  the  whole  school.  Now  the  answer  would  come  in 
the  form  of  a  Bible  verse,  now  as  a  stanza  of  a  hymn, 


204  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

now  as  a  poem  recited,  now  as  a  bit  of  description  read. 
As  to  the  questions,  they  should  cover  the  Christmas 
story,  and  whatever,  growing  out  of  it,  the  superintend- 
ent and  teachers  wish  to  bring  in.  For  example,  "Where 
was  Jesus  born?"  would  be  answered,  possibly,  by  the 
singing  of  Phillips  Brooks's  beautiful  hymn,  "  O  little 
town  of  Bethlehem."  "What  great  men  came  to  find 
the  infant  Jesus  ?"  would  be  answered  by  the  recitation 
of  Longfellow's  poem,  "The  Three  Kings,"  and  by  an 
abstract  of  Henry  Van  Dyke's  story,  "The  Other  Wise 
Man."  The  plan  gives  unlimited  range  to  the  ingenuity 
and  skill  of  whoever  may  prepare  the  exercise. 

A  variation  of  this  exercise  may  consist  of  brief  ad- 
dresses (limited  to  three  minutes)  by  different  persons, 
each  address  to  end  in  a  question,  and  each  question  to 
be  answered  by  a  song.  There  may  be  a  choir  of  chil- 
dren hidden  behind  a  curtain,  or  two  choirs  thus  hidden 
at  the  ends  of  the  room,  singing  antiphonally.  For  ex- 
ample, after  a  brief  description  of  the  scene  at  Bethle- 
hem when  the  angels  sang,  introduce  the  question, 
"  What  did  they  sing  about?"  which  the  children 
will  answer  by  singing  softly  E.  II.  Sears's  lovely  hymn, 
"It  came  upon  the  midnight  clear."  After  a  little  talk 
on  the  theme  of  the  refusal  to  receive  Mary  at  the  inn, 
ask :  "  Would  you  treat  the  Lord  Jesus  in  that  way  ?  " 
receiving  as  answer  the  song  by  Emily  E.  S.  Elliott, 
whose  refrain  is,  "  O  come  to  my  heart,  Lord  Jesus ; 
there's  room  in  my  heart  for  thee."  This  service  might 
be  named  "The  Answer  of  Song." 

One  more  suggestion  for  a  home-made  exercise,  this 
time  a  little  more  elaborate,  may  suffice.     Call  it  "  The 


CHRISTMAS   FESTIVITIES  205 

Building  of  the  Cross."  Make  pasteboard  cubes,  quite 
large,  say  a  foot  each  way.  Cover  them  with  white,  and 
paint  or  draw  on  each  an  easily  seen  symbol  of  some  con- 
spicuous event  in  Christ's  life.  Sometimes  an  object 
fastened  to  the  cube  will  serve  for  the  illustration. 
Sometimes  a  picture  can  be  cut  from  a  paper  or  maga- 
zine. A  star,  for  example,  will  represent  the  birth,  a 
stone  in  the  shape  of  a  flat  cake  will  stand  for  the  temp- 
tation, a  mountain  scene  will  call  to  mind  the  transfig- 
uration, and  so  on.  These  cubes  are  to  be  built  up,  on 
the  platform,  in  the  shape  of  a  cross.  Separate  scholars 
will  take  them,  and  each,  before  depositing  his  cube,  will 
state  what  it  represents,  and  will  recite  some  passage  of 
Scripture,  some  poem,  or  some  prose  selection,  appro- 
priate to  his  subject.  In  this  way  perhaps  twelve  of  the 
principal  events  in  Christ's  life  will  appear  to  be  building 
up  his  cross.  Arrange  them  chronologically,  placing  the 
star  at  the  bottom,  and  at  the  summit  a  picture  of  clouds 
from  which  rays  of  golden  glory  are  streaming,  to  repre- 
sent the  ascension.  The  side  pieces  must  be  added  by 
means  of  hooks,  and  the  first  must  be  supported  till  its 
balancing  piece  is  put  in  position. 

4.  Outward. — Just  a  word,  in  conclusion,  as  to  the 
school  "  treat,"  the  presents  for  the  children.  Probably 
every  Sunday  school  has  by  this  time  seen  the  necessity 
of  forbidding  a  general  receipt  and  disbursement  of  gifts. 
Some  parents  are  sure  to  take  the  opportunity  for  vulgar 
display.  I  have  been  present  at  Christmas  entertain- 
ments when  almost  every  alternate  name  called  out  be- 
longed to  a  certain  family,  and  their  pew  became  filled 
with  parcels  almost  to  a  level  with  its  railing.     The  chil- 


206  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

dren  enjoy  watching  for  their  names  to  be  called,  and 
with  a  brisk  Santa  the  operation  need  not  be  tedious ; 
but  it  is  a  wise  school  that  prevents  heartburnings  by 
ruling  that,  for  the  sake  of  the  poorer  children,  each 
scholar  shall  receive  no  more  than  one  gift,  in  addition 
to  the  school  treat  of  candy,  nuts,  and  fruit.  And  then, 
by  shrewd  management  among  the  generous,  see  to  it 
that  not  the  poorest  child  fails  to  receive  this  second 
gift. 

But  cultivate  at  this  season  among  the  members  of  the 
church  and  school  the  lovely  spirit  of  giving.  Urge  them 
to  prepare  gifts  for  others  than  relatives  and  nearest 
friends, — for  the  lonely,  for  the  sick,  for  the  ugly,  for 
non-Christians,  for  those  that  do  not  expect  it.  Organize 
among  the  children  an  S.  S.  S., — Santa's  Secret  Service. 
Arm  this  messenger  corps  with  printed  receipt-books,  and 
be  sure  that  each  receipt,  when  signed,  is  returned  to  the 
giver ;  but  provide  for  secrecy  if  the  giver  desires  to  re- 
main unknown.  This  kindly  mystery,  this  jolly  unself- 
ishness, is  of  the  very  heart  of  Christmas. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE    LESSON    PERSPECTIVE 

A  Sunday-school  lesson  taught  out  of  perspective  is 
very  much  like  a  drawing  that  is  in  the  same  pre- 
dicament. 

It  is  part  of  ray  business  to  criticize  the  drawings  that 
are  made  for  my  paper,  and  once  in  a  while  I  get  from 
some  young  artist  a  decidedly  novel  effect.  Here,  for 
instance,  will  be  a  little  girl  looking  out  of  a  window, 
and  two  or  three  yards  away  sits  an  old  man  in  a  chair. 
He  has  suffered  overmuch  from  the  diminishing  effect  of 
perspective,  and  barely  comes  up  to  her  knees.  In 
another  effort,  only  a  brief  reasoning  suffices  to  convince 
the  designer  that  his  church  spire  is  precisely  the  height 
of  his  front  door.  In  still  a  third  picture  a  box  is  so 
drawn  as  to  become  a  flat  surface,  or  a  room  is  absolutely 
turned  inside  out. 

Now  the  sense  of  proportion  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant pedagogical  virtues, — to  know  what  to  place  in  the 
foreground  and  what  in  the  background,  and  what  rela- 
tion precisely  the  one  should  hold  to  the  other. 

Many  teachers  teach  as  a  child  draws — all  on  one  plane. 
Every  fact,  every  truth,  is  of  equal  importance.  The 
exact  position  of  Calvary,  and  the  meaning  of  the  cruci- 
fixion to  the  world  ;  the  probable  size  and  material  of 
the  tables  of  stone,  and  the  contents  of  the  Decalogue ; 
the  way  they  reclined  at  table,  and  the  spiritual  signifi- 

207 


208  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

cance  of  the  Last  Supper — the  first  set  of  facts  is  in  their 
teaching  of  equal  weight  with  the  second. 

Such  teachers  exult  in  minute  details — the  weight  of 
Goliath's  armor,  piece  by  piece ;  the  appearance  of  the 
locusts  eaten  by  John  the  Baptist ;  the  kind  of  walls  that 
Asa  built.  Or,  perhaps,  they  are  especially  pleased  with 
a  certain  thought,  and  elaborate  it  through  fifteen  ver- 
bose minutes,  quite  forgetting  that  it  is  far  from  the 
main  thought  of  the  lesson,  and  not  a  thought  that  will 
much  help  the  scholars  anyway.  Other  teachers  are 
strong  along  a  certain  line,  such  as  the  succession  of 
kings  in  Israel  and  Judah,  and  drill  everlastingly  upon 
that,  heedless  of  what  is  probably  best  for  their  class. 
Still  others  are  so  immensely  tickled  with  a  story  illus- 
trating some  side  point  in  the  lesson,  or  with  a  diagram 
or  chart  they  have  invented,  that  illustration  or  diagram 
become  virtually  the  entire  lesson  to  them  and  their 
luckless  scholars. 

A  Well-made  Plan. — Perspective  in  teaching  a  lesson, 
like  perspective  in  a  picture,  comes  only  from  a  plan. 
However  artistically  careless  and  impromptu  a  good 
drawing  may  appear,  trace  it  back  and  you  will  find  it 
grid  ironed  with  formal  squares.  The  artist  decides  at 
the  outset  what  figures  or  objects  shall  stand  in  the  fore- 
ground and  what  shall  be  relegated  to  the  diminishing 
distance.  If  a  cow  is  back  in  the  meadow,  supposedly  an 
eighth  of  a  mile  away,  no  amount  of  interest  in  that  cow 
will  persuade  the  artist  to  magnify  her  size  or  increase 
the  distinctness  of  her  spots. 

After  the  same  workmanlike  fashion,  the  true  teacher 
decides  at  the  outset  of  his  studying  just  what  is  to  be 


THE   LESSON   PERSPECTIVE  209 

the  main  point  of  his  teaching.  Sometimes  it  will  be  the 
history,  when  exegesis  must  take  a  back  seat ;  sometimes 
it  will  be  the  practical  truth  in  the  lesson,  when  the  his- 
torical, geographical,  or  critical  phases  of  the  text  must 
be  passed  over  lightly. 

Having  decided  on  this  central  theme,  the  teacher's 
next  task  is  no  less  important.  Out  of  the  multitude  of 
subordinate  topics  which  will  crowd  upon  his  ready  mind 
he  must  rigorously  select  those  that  are  most  closely  and 
naturally  related  to  his  main  subject,  those  that  will  rein- 
force it  and  not  submerge  it. 

The  Central  Point. — You  want  to  leave  upon  your 
scholars'  minds  an  impression  of  the  lesson  as  a  whole. 
Your  scholars — unless  they  are  the  phenomena  they  are 
not  likely  to  be — will  not  remember  more  than  one  point 
of  the  lesson  definitely,  and  you  are  lucky  if  they  re- 
member that ;  the  rest  will  be  a  loose  haze.  It  should 
be  your  sedulous  care  that  the  one  thing  they  remember 
is  the  chief  thing,  and  that  the  loose  haze  is  made  up  of 
the  subordinate  things. 

Pictures — to  return  to  our  useful  illustration — are  likely 
to  be  "spotty";  to  exhibit,  that  is,  several  centres  of 
emphasis  and  interest,  rather  than  one.  The  "  composi- 
tion," as  the  artists  say,  is  bad,  and  the  picture  is  not  a 
whole,  as  a  landscape  is,  or  a  group  in  a  room.  The 
heroine  may  stand  out  finely,  in  bold  relief  against  a 
dark  background  ;  but  over  in  the  corner  is  some  insig- 
nificant character  who  also  is  in  bold  relief  against  a 
dark  background,  while  in  the  other  corner  the  silhouette 
of  some  inconsequential  chair  divides  the  honors  with 
the  aforesaid  two.     The  picture  is  "  spotty." 


210  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

Contrast  with  this — to  take  a  well-known  example — 
Munkacsy's  superb  painting,  "  Christ  before  Pilate,"  or 
Hofmann's  "  The  Boy  Jesus  in  the  Temple."  Note  how 
in  both  pictures  all  lines  centre  upon  our  Lord,  all  eyes 
are  directed  to  him,  all  interest  is  subordinated  to  that 
imperial  interest.  The  face  of  Pilate  is  itself  a  master- 
piece. So  is  that  fanatic  Jew,  who  with  uplifted  arm  is 
shouting,  "  Crucify  him  !  "  So  are  the  faces  of  the  sym- 
pathizing women.  So  are  the  bearded  rabbis.  But  you 
recognize  them  in  each  case  as  accessories,  after  all,  and 
you  return  again  and  again  to  the  lovely  face  of  the 
Wonderful  Boy  ;  the  regal,  worn  face  of  the  Man  of 
Sorrows.  By  virtue  of  that  dominating  interest  you  feel 
the  picture  as  a  unity. 

Knowing  what  to  leave  out  is  the  art  of  art.  It  is  the 
poet's  skill,  the  novelist's,  the  orator's,  the  sculptor's  ; 
certainly  it  is  the  painter's.  One  is  reminded  of  the  story 
of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  who  introduced  into  the  picture 
of  "The  Last  Supper"  a  magnificent  golden  goblet. 
"  That  goblet,"  said  a  friend  enthusiastically,  "  is  by  far 
the  best  thing  in  the  picture  ;  it  is  the  chief  triumph  of 
your  skill."  Instantly  Da  Vinci  dashed  his  loaded  brush 
over  the  goblet  and  obliterated  it.  "  Nothing,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  shall  surpass  the  face  of  my  Saviour." 

In  that  anecdote  lies  the  secret  of  proportion  in  teach- 
ing. It  is  interest  that  makes  emphasis.  If  your  interest 
is  in  some  inferior  truth,  your  emphasis  will  be  upon  it, 
whether  you  wish  it  or  not.  If  your  heart  is  fixed  upon 
the  great  central  verities  of  religion,  you  will  allow  no 
allurement  of  illustration  or  anecdote  or  historical  lore  to 
distract  you  or  your  scholars  from  them. 


THE   LESSON   PERSPECTIVE  211 

In  teaching  the  story  of  the  man  let  down  through  the 
roof  of  the  house  to  Jesus'  feet,  if  it  is  your  heart's  de- 
sire to  send  your  scholars  to  the  great  Physician  you  will 
spend  only  enough  time  on  the  "  mattress "  and  the 
"roof"  to  make  the  scene  intelligible,  and  you  will  speed 
to  the  soul  of  the  matter,  the  wonderful  healing.  In 
teaching  Paul's  last  recorded  journey  to  Jerusalem,  if 
your  heart  is  aflame  with  admiration  for  the  apostle's 
steadfast  pursuit  of  duty  against  whatever  obstacles,  and 
you  are  chiefly  eager  to  incorporate  that  spirit  in  your 
scholars'  minds,  then  you  will  dwell  only  long  enough 
on  the  geography  of  Miletus,  Tyre,  Ptolemais,  and 
the  rest,  only  long  enough  on  Philip's  prophetical 
daughters  and  the  quaint  manner  of  Agabus's  warning, 
to  render  vivid  the  number  and  variety  of  hindrances 
that  beset  Paul's  determined  will. 

Do  I  seem,  in  insisting  upon  a  single  ineffaceable  pic- 
ture as  adequate  goal  of  an  entire  lesson,  to  be  minimiz- 
ing our  Sunday-school  design  and  effort  ?  Think  what 
it  means  to  implant  fifty-two  such  pictures,  in  the  course 
of  a  year,  in  the  mind  of  any  person !  What  a  gallery  ! 
What  a  glorious  Louvre  of  galleries  growing  from  year 
to  year !  Surely  that,  well  done,  is  triumph  sufficient, 
for  time  and  eternity. 

The  Secret  of  Symmetry. — Dr.  Moorehead,  the  beloved 
Bible- teacher,  saw  his  little  grandchild  playing  on  the 
floor  one  day  with  a  dissected  map  of  the  United  States. 
The  lassie  was  sorely  puzzled.  Things  would  not  fit  to- 
gether. Here  between  Illinois  and  Iowa  was  an  alto- 
gether impossible  gap.     Yonder  was  New  Mexico  thrust- 


212  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

ing  an  elbow  into  Kansas.  It  was  a  disheartening  jum- 
ble, and  the  girlie  was  almost  in  tears. 

"  Turn  it  over,"  said  Dr.  Moorehead,  "  and  work  on  the 
other  side." 

There  was  a  large  face  of  George  Washington  on  the 
other  side,  and  that  was  easy.  Two  eyes — why,  of 
course!  And  a  nose, — right  under  the  eyes,  to  be  sure  ! 
And  mouth,  ears,  square  chin,  cheeks, — George  "Washing- 
ton was  a  rapid  success,  and  the  small  worker  was  de- 
lighted. 

"  Now  turn  it  over." 

A  piece  of  cardboard  slipped  beneath  helped  to  effect 
the  revolution, — not  the  first  one  in  which  George 
Washington  had  been  engaged, — and  lo !  the  puzzling 
United  States  were  all  in  decorous  order,  Kansas  and 
Illinois,  Iowa  and  New  Mexico  and  the  rest  precisely 
where  they  ought  to  be. 

And  so,  fellow  teachers,  if  we  want  to  bring  into  re- 
memberable  symmetry  the  perplexing,  crowded  facts  and 
truths  of  those  great  lessons, — let  us  turn  them  over,  and 
work  on  the  Man  I 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  SUPERINTENDENT  THAT  NEEDS  A  MUZZLE 

I  hope  my  title  will  not  seem  harsh  or  disrespectful. 
It  is  the  spirited  dogs,  you  know,  that  need  a  muzzle, — 
dogs  of  the  aggressive  bark  and  the  willing  bite.  There 
are  curs,  lank  and  listless,  that  would  never  be  honored 
with  a  muzzle,  even  in  a  year  of  dog  days. 

The  only  trouble  with  my  canine  friend  of  the  muzzle 
is  that  he  has  misplaced  his  energy.  He  has  barked  at 
the  policeman  instead  of  the  tramp,  and  he  has  gnawed 
at  my  trousers  instead  of  his  own  disinterred  bones. 
Hence  the  muzzle. 

Nothing  more  than  this  is  the  matter  with  our  subject, 
the  superintendent.  When  he  stands  before  those  wrig- 
gling youngsters  and  offers  up  a  five-minute  prayer,  the 
deed  is  good  but  misplaced ;  the  prayer  belongs  in  the 
church  prayer  meeting.  When  he  introduces  the  respon- 
sive Bible-reading  with  foregleams  of  the  lesson,  and 
closes  it  with  a  comprehensive  summary,  what  he  says  is 
excellent  but  misplaced  ;  it  belongs  in  the  teachers'  meet- 
ing. When  he  holds  the  school  for  five  minutes  in  order 
to  apply  the  day's  lesson  to  the  scholars'  lives,  prob- 
ably every  word  of  his  homily  is  true  and  good  ;  but  cer- 
tainly every  teacher  before  him,  if  she  knows  her  business, 
has  already  said  to  her  scholars  all  that  needs  to  be  said 
along  that  line. 

213 


214  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

But  our  over-energetic,  or  over-conscientious,  or  (shall 
I  whisper  it  ? )  our  egotistical  superintendent  cannot  givo 
out  a  notice  without  enlarging  every  detail,  cannot  an- 
nounce a  song  without  directing  attention  to  its  senti- 
ment, cannot  shake  his  linger  at  an  unruly  scholar  with- 
out making  him  the  text  for  a  discourse  on  order,  cannot 
allow  the  secretary's  report  to  go  without  an  afterclap  of 
tedious  encouragement  or  reproof. 

The  Superintending  Superintendent. — Far  from  him  is 
the  conception  of  the  superintendent  as  an  all-hut-silent 
governor  of  the  school,  an  officer  whose  appearance  on 
the  platform  or  whose  raised  hand  is  the  signal  for  an 
instant  hush,  whose  nod  to  the  chorister  or  secretary  is 
their  sufficient  introduction,  whose  purpose  is  to  say  and 
do  as  little  as  he  can  and  get  others  to  say  and  do  as 
much  as  possible,  and  whose  central  ambition  is  to  de- 
liver the  school  to  the  teachers  precisely  at  the  proper 
minute  and  precisely  in  the  proper  condition  of  reverent 
attention.  This  conception  of  his  work  is  quite  foreign 
to  the  superintendent  that  needs  a  muzzle. 

His  Share. — He  has  not  an  algebraic  mind.  If  he  had, 
he  would  argue  :  As  I,  John  Smith,  am  to  these  twenty 
teachers  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  scholars,  so  is  the 
time  I  ought  to  take  for  talking  to  the  time  I  ought  to 
leave  for  them.     He  would  calculate  about  as  follows :  — 


Songs,  S  at  3  min.  ea 9 

Prayer Q 

Bible-readiny 3 

Announcement* # 

Unforeseen  extras ]+ 


THE   SUPERINTENDENT  THAT  NEEDS    A    MUZZLE     215 

Getting  settled  in  classes  aft*  r  <>p<  h  ing  exercises    .     .  5 
Collection,  filling  out  records,  distributing  papers  and 

books 5 

Teaching  the  lessons oO 

Total,  minutes 60 

Time  left  for  the  superintendents  liomily     .     .     .     .     ? 

But  his  mind  is  poetic,  oratorical,  imaginative,  any- 
thing but  algebraic  or  arithmetical;  therefore  he  must 
have  a  muzzle.  The  questions  are :  what  sort  of  muzzle  ? 
and  how  shall  it  be  applied  ? 

Perhaps  he  may  read  this  chapter,  and  it  may  serve  as 
a  muzzle.  If,  however,  he  is  so  unfortunate  as  not  to 
have  a  copy  of  this  book,  I  do  not  see  that  you  can  do 
much  without  a  teachers'  meeting.  It  is  through  the 
teachers'  meeting  that  all  Sunday-school  reforms  are  to 
be  effected,  and  that  is  not  the  least  of  its  advantages. 

Putting  On  the  Muzzle.— For  at  the  teachers'  meeting 
you  will  insist  upon  setting  aside  the  first  fifteen  minutes 
for  a  discussion  of  the  general  interests  of  the  school. 
And  in  this  discussion  it  will  not  be  long  before  some 
teacher  will  pipe  up :  "  Mr.  Superintendent,  I  must  have 
half  an  hour  for  the  lesson  ;  how  can  I  get  it  ?  "  And 
the  muzzle  will  thereupon  be  produced  from  its  brown- 
paper  wrapping. 

Mr.  Garland  will  say,  "  That  is  my  great  need,  too ; 
last  Sunday  we  actually  had  only  seventeen  minutes." 
Miss  Pay  son:  "Where  does  all  the  time  go  to?" 
Professor  Richardson  :  "  Shouldn't  we  establish  a  rule 
always  to  begin  the  teaching  at  a  certain  minute?" 
Omnes  :     "  Yes.     That's  just  it.     At  a  certain  minute." 


216  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

Superintendent:  "Certainly.  Why  not?  A  very 
sensible  suggestion.     What  do  you  say  to  12:25  ?" 

And  the  muzzle  is  on. 

Keeping  the  Muzzle  On. — Of  course,  it  is  going  to  slip 
off,  if  you  don't  watch.  You  will  be  obliged  to  draw  in 
a  strap  here  and  tighten  a  buckle  there.  You  may  be 
compelled  to  go  into  details,  at  your  teachers'  meeting, 
much  as  in  the  tabular  exhibit  I  have  just  made.  The 
chorister  may  have  to  insist  on  his  three  songs,  with  no 
stanzas  clipped.  The  secretary  may  have  to  insist  on  a 
regular  and  adequate  time  for  his  announcements.  You 
may  have  to  report  the  complaints  of  parents  when  the 
school  is  not  dismissed  on  time.  Again  and  again  you 
may  be  forced  to  plead  for  your  half  hour  for  the  lesson. 
Vigilance  is  the  price  of  more  things  than  liberty. 

But  do  not,  for  the  lack  of  a  little  plain  and  coura- 
geous speaking,  allow  a  good  superintendent  to  spoil 
himself  and  the  school.  Know  precisely  what  you  want 
of  him,  tell  precisely  what  you  want  of  him,  and  then  if 
he  gets  mad  you  will  not  want  anything  more  of  him  at 
all.     But  he  won't  get  mad. 

Is  the  muzzle  to  be  complete?  May  not  the  superin- 
tendent talk  at  all?  Of  course  he  may,  but  always  in 
strict  proportion 

1.  To  his  ability. 

2.  To  the  need. 

3.  To  the  opportunity. 

1.  Some  superintendents  are  skilled  in  blackboard 
work,  and  by  a  few  turns  with  the  chalk  can  make  a  les- 


THE   SUPERINTENDENT  THAT   NEEDS   A   MUZZLE     217 

son  luminous,  and  start  scholars  and  teachers  finely  upon 
the  topic  of  the  hour.  Others  are  good  at  object  talks. 
Others  know  just  how  to  give  the  needed  word  of  en- 
couragement and  good  cheer.  It  would  be  a  sin  to  muz- 
zle absolutely  a  dog  that  can  do  such  tricks  as  these. 

2.  Only,  let  nothing  be  done  merely  to  show  off  the 
skill.  Carefully  let  the  superintendent  and  teachers  con- 
sider the  proposed  contribution  to  the  school  hour,  and 
use  it  only  in  case  it  meets  "  a  felt  need." 

3.  And  not  even  then,  unless  it  can  come  into  the 
time  I  have  set  apart  in  my  table  for  "  extras,"  or  for 
getting  to  classes,  and  the  like.  The  time  for  singing, 
Bible,  prayer,  and  teaching  is  not  too  long  by  a  second, 
and  those  four  items  are  more  important  than  anything 
the  brightest  superintendent  is  likely  to  say. 

I  am  truly  sorry  for  the  superintendent  that  needs  a 
muzzle.  It  is  hard  to  suppress  ideas  that  are  eager  for 
utterance,  "thoughts  that  breathe  and  words  that  burn." 
But,  for  the  good  of  the  school  and  the  cause  of  Christ, 
let  the  muzzle  be  gracefully  assumed  and  heroically  worn. 
Ere  long — trust  me — will  come  a  beautiful  transforma- 
tion. The  muzzle  will  be  sublimed,  will  be  elevated,  will 
become  a  ring  of  light,  and  will  shine  above  the  superin- 
tendent's head  as  a  martyr's  aureole  ! 


CHAPTER  XXVII 


Many  more  teachers  than  would  care  to  acknowledge 
it  have  the  "pearls  before  swine"  feeling.  That  is, 
when  they  are  urged  to  lavish  themselves  upon  their 
classes,  to  study  long,  to  think  hard,  to  plan  like  states- 
men and  teach  with  the  zeal  of  jury  lawyers,  they  begin 
to  object :  "  It  would  be  a  waste  of  effort.  The  schol- 
ars would  not  appreciate  it.  They  are  too  young,  too 
careless,  too  (in  a  whisper)  stupid.  It  would  be  casting 
pearls  before  swine." 

Not  that  any  teacher  would  in  so  many  words  call  his 
own  best  thoughts  "pearls"  and  his  scholars  "swine," 
but — some  things  are  too  good  for  them.  "  You  can 
carry  a  thing  too  far,  you  understand." 

No,  no,  no  !  Nothing  can  be  too  good  for  your  scholars. 
No  teaching  can  be  too  wise,  too  true,  too  loving,  too 
helpful.  Since  the  days  of  Robert  Raikes,  no  Sunday- 
school  lesson  was  ever  taught  too  well. 

On  the  contrary,  it  is  the  teacher's  failure  to  pour  out 
his  best  that  has  caused  the  failure  of  every  class  that 
ever  failed.  Only  as  we  recognize  the  truth  that  this 
Sunday-school  task  is  the  noblest  ever  given  workman  to 
accomplish,  the  most  difficult,  the  most  glorious,  right- 
fully demanding  our  utmost  resources,  can  we  succeed  in 
it  and  enjoy  it. 

218 


"PEARLS   BEFORE  SWINE  "  219 

To  be  sure,  there  may  be  too  much  preparation  of  a 
certain  sort:  Miss  Crayon  gets  an  idea  for  a  pretty 
blackboard  design,  and  she  spends  so  much  time  in  pre- 
paring it  that  she  can  bring  her  class  only  the  haziest 
knowledge  of  the  lesson  story,  quite  lost  in  a  rainbow 
mist  of  hearts  and  arrows  and  chains  and  initials  otf  on 
a  lark. 

Dr.  Cannon  loads  up  for  his  class  of  restless  boys  with 
a  big  charge  of  historical  facts,  the  entire  history  of  the 
house  of  Herods,  and  quite  forgets  to  consider  a  single 
point  in  which  the  lesson  might  hit  their  lives. 

Young  Mr.  Shiner  revels  in  anecdotes  and  brilliant 
illustrations.  His  study  for  Sunday-school  consists  in 
collecting  a  great  variety  of  these,  a  variety  so  great 
that  they  mutually  obliterate  one  another  and  transform 
the  lesson  into  a  Foster's  Cyclopedia. 

Dear  Mrs.  Grind  plods  painfully  through  half  a  dozen 
commentaries,  taking  copious  notes  from  each,  and  leaves 
herself  no  time  to  arrange  her  stores  of  information, 
assimilate  them,  and  prepare  them  for  introduction  into 
other  heads. 

Now  all  of  these  typical  cases  might  be  described  not 
as  too  much  pearl  but  as  too  much  oyster.  The  pearl, 
if  there  is  any,  is  lost,  smothered.  There  cannot  be  too 
good  preparation  for  teaching  that  Sunday-school  lesson  ; 
but  to  be  good  preparation  it  must  be  well  balanced.  It 
must  shape  itself  into  sensible,  natural  questions.  It 
must  leave  room  for — indeed,  it  must  include — visiting 
the  scholars,  writing  letters  to  them,  learning  the  lives 
to  which  you  are  to  minister.  Yes,  and  it  must  not  be 
so  arduous  preparation  as  to  forfeit  that  buoyancy  of 


220  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

body  and  freshness  of  mind  in  which  alone  the  teaching 
can  be  vigorous,  attractive,  and  fruitful. 

Unsuited  to  the  Scholars. — There  is  something  else 
which  is  sometimes  called  throwing  pearls  before  swine, 
— the  use  in  teaching  of  what  is  good  in  itself,  and,  very 
likely,  of  a  sort  that  is  needed  in  the  balance  of  the 
lesson,  but  it  is  not  suited  to  the  age  or  circumstances  of 
the  scholars. 

For  instance,  before  a  class  of  children  coming  from 
ignorant  homes,  the  teacher  uses  an  illustration  from  the 
Sistine  Madonna;  no  photograph,  you  understand; 
nothing  but  Mrs.  Jameson.  Now  that  was  no  casting 
of  pearls  before  swine;  it  was  not  a  pearl  at  all,  but  a 
ball  of  clumsy  clay.  The  pearl  might  have  been  an 
illustration  taken  from  a  tulip,  or  a  robin,  or  a  chestnut- 
tree. 

It  is  well  that  sometime  the  scholars  should  know 
something  about  the  principal  theories  of  inspiration,  but 
that,  good  in  itself,  is  anything  but  good  for  a  class  of 
fidgety  boys.  It  is  well  that  sometime  the  scholars 
should  know  the  value  of  a  denarius,  but  in  the  primary 
department  you  would  better  call  it  a  penny.  The 
teacher  should  know  these  things,  but  to  tell  them  to 
the  children  before  they  are  ready  to  remember  them  is 
a  waste  of  precious  opportunity.  One  of  the  gardener's 
hardest  tasks  is  to  thin  out  the  flowers,  throwing  away 
pansies  and  portulacas  just  because  there  is  no  room  for 
them  to  grow  without  spoiling  other  pansies  and 
portulacas.  Precisely  this  bit  of  resignation  every 
teacher  must  undertake  in  the  interest  of  his  class, 
mercilessly  casting  out  of  his  presentation  of  the  lesson 


"PEARLS   BEFORE  SWINE  "  221 

every  illustration  that  will  clog,  every  fact  that  will 
confuse,  and  every  teaching  that  does  not  lit  their  lives. 

Ah,  you  teachers  who  may  have  thought  it  possible 
in  your  class  to  "  cast  pearls  before  swine,"  build  up  your 
lesson  like  a  pearl!  Pearl-fashion,  seek  first  for  a 
nucleus,  a  strong  central  truth,  and  let  your  thoughts 
all  grow  to  that.  Then,  as  the  oyster  sucks  in  the  sea- 
water,  great  gulps  of  it,  so  do  you  read  widely  and 
study  much.  As  the  oyster  draws  from  the  waves  for 
its  pearl  nothing  but  their  lime,  not  even  the  gold  that 
is  in  them,  so  do  you  draw  from  all  this  flood  of  material 
only  what  fits  yourself  and  your  class.  And  then  brood 
over  it.  Enwrap  it  in  many  folds,  as  the  oyster  wraps 
the  growing  pearl.  Put  in  the  colors,  the  anecdotes  and 
illustrations,  so  that  it  will  shine  and  attract.  Roll  it 
over  and  over  in  your  mind,  until  you  can  present  it 
with  no  roughnesses,  well  rounded  and  perfect.  Medi- 
tate over  it,  brood  it. 

And  then,  all  being  ready,  and  the  day  of  days  having 
come,  a  pearl  before  God's  little  ones!  Though  it  is 
only  a  seed  pearl,  lay  it  before  them  with  joy,  proud  and 
happy  that  it  may  shine  upon  their  life  garments. 
Sometime,  in  the  city  whose  gates  are  pearl,  you  will 
see  what  such  patient,  wise,  and  loving  work  has  been 
doing  for  yourself,  that  it  has  been  fashioning  gems  for 
an  unseen  crown,  a  crown  that  will  flash  out  glorious 
to  men  and  angels  in  the  day  when  God  makes  up  his 
jewels. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE   CLASS   NUCLEUS 

The  importance  of  this  subject  warrants  setting  it 
apart  in  a  separate  chapter,  even  though  the  chapter 
must  be  very  brief. 

No  Sunday-school  teacher  has  a  right  to  be  discouraged 
whose  class  contains  a  nucleus.  By  a  nucleus,  I  mean 
the  portion  of  the  class  that  attends  regularly,  and 
studies  the  lessons  at  home.  This  nucleus  may  consist 
of  only  one  scholar,  but,  as  long  as  he  has  it,  the  teacher 
should  be  of  good  hope. 

All  growth,  all  lite,  is  built  up  around  nuclei.  Given 
a  nucleus,  nature  can  make  an  oak,  a  bird,  a  man. 
Certainly,  given  a  nucleus,  any  teacher  can  make  a 
successful  class. 

The  trouble  usually  is  that  he  does  not  know  how  to 
use  his  nucleus,  how  to  make  it  a  live,  attractive  nucleus, 
how  to  organize  his  teaching  around  it.  For  a  nucleus 
is  a  harm,  rather  than  a  help,  if  the  teacher  works  for  it, 
and  does  not  teach  it  to  work  for  the  other  scholars. 
All  his  plans  must  be  based  on  the  nucleus,  and  it  is  a 
great  temptation  to  stop  there, — that  is,  to  devote  him- 
self wholly  to  the  brighter  and  more  faithful  scholars. 
He  will  fail  if  he  does.  A  nucleus  is  not  a  nucleus  un- 
less it  is  enlarging. 

First,  Recognize  Your  Nucleus. — This  is  especially  im- 

222 


THE  CLAS8   NUCLEUS  223 

portant  in  the  adult  classes,  which  always  contain  so 
many  that  come  as  mere  auditors,  and  will  not  come 
otherwise.  They  refuse  to  be  questioned,  and  they  con- 
tribute nothing  to  the  discussions.  Out  of  deference  to 
this  large  element,  the  teachers  of  many  adult  classes 
never  address  the  members  of  the  class  by  name,  but 
project  their  questions  blankly,  and  usually  with  blank 
returns. 

Now  in  all  such  classes  a  nucleus  should  quietly  be 
formed.  The  teacher  should  go  to  each  scholar,  and 
ask,  "Are  you  willing  that  I  should  question  you  by 
name  ?  "  It  should  be  understood  that  no  one  will  thus 
be  questioned  that  has  not  given  express  permission,  and 
each  newcomer  might  be  notified  of  the  fact.  Then  the 
teacher  should  persistently  and  tactfully  work  to  enlarge 
this  inoer  circle. 

Especially  in  classes  of  children,  the  nucleus  may  be 
set  to  work  helping  the  other  scholars  into  more  active 
interest.  The  wise  teacher  will  do  nothing  himself  that 
he  can  get  the  nucleus  to  do  for  him.  Every  scholar  that 
can  be  made  such  he  will  install  as  an  assistant  teacher. 
If  he  can  do  it  wisely,  without  arousing  vanity,  he  will 
tell  such  scholars  what  he  expects  from  them,  and  how 
much  depends  on  them.  He  will  set  his  class  to  study- 
ing together  in  their  homes,  two  by  two,  a  brighter 
scholar — a  member  of  the  nucleus — with  one  that  is 
duller  or  more  careless.  He  will  get  these  brighter 
scholars  to  write  little  essays  on  topics  connected  with 
the  lessons,  prepare  sets  of  questions  for  propounding  to 
the  class,  put  diagrams  on  the  blackboard,  hunt  up  pas- 
sages in  commentaries  illuminating  the  lesson.     In  plan- 


224  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

ning — far  ahead — for  every  lesson,  he  will  plan  how  to 
get  his  scholars  to  help  him  teach  that  lesson. 

This  is  not  easy.  No  work  of  creation  is  easy.  It 
requires  less  skill  to  pile  up  a  million  bricks  than  to 
make  of  one  of  them  a  purposeful,  organizing  life-centre. 
But  the  true  teacher  is  not  seeking  dead  bulk  ;  he  is  seek- 
ing life. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

WHAT  TO  DO    WITH   "THE  HIGHER  CRITICISM" 

A  Modern  Parable. — They  were  rearing  a  beautiful 
building.  The  architect's  plans  called  for  a  structure  of 
magnificent  proportions,  massive  in  bulk  yet  delicate  and 
graceful  in  outline.  It  was  to  stand  for  time  and 
eternity. 

For  a  tedious  while  the  preparations  had  been  making. 
There  was  a  large  excavation,  waiting  for  the  founda- 
tion, and  great  heaps  of  stone  and  wood  lay  ready  for 
mason  and  carpenter.  At  last,  one  lovely  spring  day, 
the  derricks  all  in  place,  the  mortar  mixed,  the  workmen 
singing  with  a  zest,  they  began  to  lay  the  foundations 
with  ponderous  blocks  of  limestone. 

Then  strolled  along  three  young  gentlemen,  all  with 
lofty  foreheads,  all  with  supremely  self-satisfied  air,  and 
all  with  spectacles. 

"  Hold  !  "  they  cried,  simultaneously,  to  the  laborers. 
"  Don't  lower  that  block  till  we  determine  its  geological 
age." 

The  puzzled  workmen,  confused,  obeyed  the  authorita- 
tive mandate. 

Thereupon  the  young  gentlemen  with  the  spectacles 
gathered  arouncT  the  stone  as  it  swung  from  the  derrick, 
and  began  to  chip  pieces  from  it. 

225 


22G  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

"Observe  this  trilobite,"  said  one,  proudly  exhibiting 
the  fossil.  "It  is  a  Silurian  trilobite, — Upper  Silurian." 
And  he  reeled  olF  a  Latin  name  as  long  as  his  nose. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  differ,"  remarked  another,  cracking  off 
a  large  piece  from  a  corner,  "  but  this  brachiopod  is  cer- 
tainly Devonian.  Observe  it."  And  the  Latin  name  he 
gave  his  fossil  was  as  long  as  his  face. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  third  young  man,  viewing  a 
bit  of  the  limestone  through  a  pocket  microscope,  "I 
grieve  to  note  your  errors,  but  you  have  failed  to  take 
into  account  these  traces  of  organic  remains,  certainly 
ferns  of  a  well-marked  variety."  And  he  introduced  a 
Latin  name  as  long  as  a  yardstick.  "  This  limestone  is 
manifestly  of  the  Carboniferous  age." 

"  But,"  said  the  lirst,  "  it  must  be  Upper  Silurian, 
because " 

"  Nonsense !  "  exclaimed  the  second  simultaneously, 
"  it  must  be  Devonian,  as  any  fool  can  see,  because " 

Thus  they  continued,  with  great  vehemence,  the  Latin 
names  growing  longer  and  longer,  and  the  stone  growing 
smaller  and  smaller  as  they  chipped  away  at  it.  In  the 
meantime,  the  dismayed  and  puzzled  workmen  looked  on 
with  open  mouths,  and  as  for  the  building,  it  was  at  a 
standstill. 
N  At  last  the  contractor  himself  came  bustling  up. 

"What's  all  this?"  he  cried  indignantly.  "Who  are 
you  three  fellows  ?  and  what  do  you  mean  by  cutting 
that  stone  to  pieces  ?  " 

"  We  are  professors  of  geology,"  they  complacently  ex- 
plained. "  We  are  possessed  of  scientific  minds.  These 
ignorant  workmen  were  about  to  lay  a  foundation  com- 


WHAT   TO   DO   WITH   "THE  HIGHER   CRITICISM"     227 

posed  of  limestone  whose  age  had  not  been  determined. 
Such  an  unscientific  procedure  is  at  variance  with  the 
spirit  of  the  times.  It  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
determine  the  period  to  which  the  block  must  be  re- 
ferred, and  happily  we  have  discovered  that  it  is — Upper 
Silurian,"  said  the  first ;  "  Devonian,"  said  the  second ; 
"  Carboniferous,"  said  the  third.  Then  they  went  at  it 
■gain. 

But  the  contractor  was  a  plain,  blunt  man.  "  You 
meddlesome  braggarts,"  he  cried,  "  get  out  of  the  way  of 
my  derrick  !  Leave  my  stone  alone !  It's  good  founda- 
tion stone,  and  that's  all  I  want  to  know." 

"But  don't  be  so  hasty,  my  friend,"  softly  said  the 
first  professor.  "Some  Upper  Silurian  is  ill-suited  to 
your  purpose.  Only  certain  portions  are  adapted  to 
foundations.  Just  wait  a  while,  till  I  have  made  a  thor- 
ough examination,  and  I  can  tell  you  whether,  for  in- 
stance, this  is  the  famous  Niagara  limestone,  and  pos- 
sessed of  hydraulic  properties." 

"How  can  it  be,"  interposed  the  second  professor, 
"since  it  is  manifestly  Devonian?  This  brachio- 
pod " 

"  O  fie ! "  interrupted  the  third  professor ;  "  this  is  ab- 
surd, for  any  tyro  in  geology  can  see  that  it  is  Carbon- 
iferous.    These  organic  remains " 

And  they  went  at  it  again  as  hard  as  ever,  chipping 
away  on  the  block. 

The  contractor's  patience  was  exhausted.  "Clear 
out ! "  he  shouted,  inelegantly,  and  fell  to  belaboring  the 
professors  with  his  walking  stick. 

Thereupon  the  three  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  their  eyes 


228  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

shining  with  delight.  "  Now  we  shall  be  famous,"  said 
they.  "Now  we  shall  get  big  salaries,  and  be  asked  to 
give  lecture  courses  around  the  country,  for  Ave  have  be- 
come scientific  martyrs." 

But  the  workmen  proceeded  to  erect  the  building. 

The  Parable  Applied. — And  now  surely  no  one  of  my 
readers  needs  an  unfolding  of  my  parable.  We  believe, 
all  of  us,  that  the  Bible  is  the  best  foundation  stone  for 
a  young  life ;  nay,  the  best  quarry  of  foundation  stones. 
Our  belief  rests  not  on  our  own  inadequate  opinion,  but 
on  the  uniform  experience  of  centuries,  the  triumphant 
testimony  of  all  biography.  We  know  beyond  a  perad- 
venture  that  the  men  and  women  whose  minds  were 
filled  with  the  Bible  in  their  youth,  are  those  that  have 
built  upon  that  basis  the  most  noble  and  enduring  struc- 
tures of  character  and  accomplishment.  We  have  found 
good  foundation  stone  in  all  parts  of  this  Bible  quarry. 
Some  of  the  blocks  sparkle  with  crystals  while  others 
are  plain  ;  some  are  flinty  while  others  are  pure  lime- 
stone; but  all  are  solid,  substantial  blocks,  good  for  the 
loftiest  building  that  can  be  erected  upon  them,  and  for 
as  long  a  time  as  the  building  will  endure. 

Knowing  this,  and  being  eager  to  lay  the  founda- 
tions, since  lives  are  building  ceaselessly  and  will  not 
wait  for  us,  but  will  build  on  the  sand  if  we  do  not  lay 
the  firm  foundations, — this  being  the  case,  can  any  one 
wonder  that  we  grow  impatient  with  these  endless  de- 
bates as  to  the  age  of  this  or  that  portion  of  our  Bible 
quarry,  the  way  in  which  such  and  such  strata  were  laid 
down,  whether  by  one  sea  or  two  or  many  successive 
seas,  and  that  we  are  sometimes  gruff  and  perhaps  un- 


WHAT  TO   DO   WITH 

mannerly  in  bidding  the  disputants  step  aside  and  let  us 
do  our  work  ? 

Not  that  for  a  moment  any  one  of  us  would  wish  to 
teach  the  young  an  untruth,  about  the  Bible  or  anything 
else.  Surely,  if  any  one  has  a  right  to  the  truth,  it  is  an 
awakening  intelligence,  first  looking  out  upon  our  com- 
plex and  difficult  life.  I  can  conceive  no  blacker  treason 
to  God  and  man  than  to  teach  a  child  a  lie. 

But,  even  granting  that  these  theories  of  the  destruc- 
tive critics  of  the  Bible  are  true,  it  does  not  follow  that 
they  should  be  laid  before  the  young.  What  would  have 
been  the  result  had  the  boy  Gladstone  been  given  to 
study  a  Polychrome  Homer?  When  Edward  Everett 
Hale,  the  brilliant  lad,  lay  out  on  the  ridgepole  of  his 
father's  house  and  translated  six  books  of  Virgil's 
^Eneid  in  the  three  hours  of  one  afternoon,  what  would 
have  been  the  result  if  he  had  had  to  take  cognizance  of 
the  variant  readings?  Suppose  Charles  Lamb,  on  his 
first  acquaintance  with  the  Shakespeare  he  came  to  love 
so  ardently,  had  been  confronted  with  a  zealous  and 
crafty  advocate  of  the  Baconian  theory ;  should  we  ever 
have  had  the  "  Tales  from  Shakespeare "  ?  We  talk 
much  of  pedagogy.  It  is  the  most  vicious  of  pedagogy 
to  invert  the  order  of  nature,  to  place  the  analytical  be- 
fore the  synthetical,  to  generalize  before  we  particularize, 
to  discuss  geologic  eras  before  the  pupil  knows  limestone 
from  granite. 

The  wise  teacher  in  the  grammar  school  does  not  de- 
bate the  theories  of  evolution,  but  he  sets  his  scholars  to 
hunting  for  snails,  and  noting  how  they  move,  and  how 
their  shell  grows,  and  how  they  work  their  strap-like 


230  SUNDAY  SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

tongue.  He  does  not  teach  them  the  nebular  by  pothesis, 
but  bids  them  observe  the  moon,  and  look  for  Jupiter's 
satellites  through  an  opera  glass.  He  gives  them  no  les- 
sons in  the  calculus,  nor  speculates  concerning  the  fourth 
dimension,  but  grounds  them  in  the  multiplication  table 
and  in  long  division.  His  classes  do  not  study  compara- 
tive philology,  but  they  build  simple  English  sentences; 
nor  do  they  bother  their  heads  with  diatoms,  but  learn 
to  tell  petals  from  sepals.  So  in  our  Sunday  schools  the 
wise  teacher  will  not  discuss  theories  of  inspiration,  or 
dates  of  composition,  or  unity  of  authorship,  or  authen- 
ticity of  manuscripts,  but  he  will  teach  the  ten  command- 
ments and  the  eight  beatitudes,  illustrating  them  by  the 
lives  of  all  the  heroes  and  renegades,  the  saints  and  sin- 
ners, from  Adam  in  Eden  to  John  in  Patmos. 

When  one  speaks  in  this  way,  one  is  very  likely  to  be 
misunderstood.  Let  me  repeat.  No  one  wants  the 
young  taught  anything  that  is  not  true.  It  would  be  a 
sin  knowingly  to  teach  a  child  anything  that  he  must  un- 
learn in  later  years.  That  process  of  unlearning  is  the 
most  dangerous  of  processes.  It  is  building  a  house  on  a 
rotten  foundation,  and  being  compelled  to  move  it  bodily 
to  another  foundation,  or  to  lift  it  and  put  another 
foundation  below.  The  process  is  long  and  costly. 
Moreover,  it  is  certain  to  rack  the  house. 

But  if  a  child  is  not  to  be  taught  untruths,  neither  is 
he  to  be  taught  guesses  at  truth.  He  is  to  be  taught 
nothing  that  must  be  taught  apologetically,  shrinkingly, 
as  if  afraid.  AVe  must  teach  new  truth,  if  we  teach  it  at 
all,  with  boldness  and  enthusiasm.  If,  for  example,  we 
consider  the  theory  of  a  second  Isaiah  to  be  proved,  we 


WHAT  TO   DO   WITH    "THE   HIGHER  CRITICISM  "     231 

must  not  talk  about  it  with  regret  or  even  cautiously  and 
defensively,  but  with  exultant  delight  in  the  addition  of 
a  splendid  new  prophet  to  the  long  line  of  men  of  God. 
We  have  no  loss  in  Messianic  prophecy,  but  rather  a  sub- 
lime and  unexpected  gain.  So  will  it  be  with  any  Bible 
discovery  when  it  is  actually  proved.  It  will  manifest 
its  divine  origin  by  confirming  our  faith  rather  than 
weakening  it,  and  increasing  rather  than  diminishing  our 
zeal  for  Holy  Writ.  Until  a  theory  or  an  assumed  dis- 
covery can  be  taught  in  that  spirit  to  young  people,  it 
should  not  be  taught  to  them  at  all. 

The  young,  we  must  remember,  have  no  skeptical 
tendencies.  They  do  not  naturally  test  and  discriminate, 
but  believe.  To  lay  before  them  different  theories  and 
bid  them  weigh  and  select,  is  only  to  confuse  and  perplex 
them.  Careful,  courageous,  independent  examination  of 
truth  is  an  ability  they  win  only  later,  through  long  proc- 
esses of  education.  What  is  doubtful  and  debatable  has 
no  fit  place  in  a  child's  curriculum, — only  what  is  sure. 

This  is  not  to  say  that  the  young  cannot  see  fallacies. 
Their  minds  are  frank  and  honest,  and  instinctively 
abhor  the  disingenuous.  If  some  of  the  modern  theories 
of  the  Bible  are  true,  the  books  to  which  those  theories 
apply  have  no  proper  place  in  our  Sunday  schools.  If, 
for  example,  we  are  to  believe  that  the  writers,  or,  if  you 
prefer,  the  compilers,  of  the  books  of  Samuel  and  the 
Chronicles  deliberately  falsified  the  record,  and,  to  gain 
their  ends,  whether  to  exalt  the  priesthood  or  what  not, 
wrested  the  facts  from  their  true  setting,  modified  this, 
enlarged  upon  that,  imagined  the  other,  omitted  here  and 
inserted  there, — if  we  are  to  believe  this  falsification  of 


232  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

history  to  serve  the  purposes  of  party,  then  let  us  keep 
such  literature  from  the  eyes  of  children.  Explain  as  you 
please,  you  can  never  persuade  boys  and  girls  that  mo 
tives  that  would  be  dishonorable  in  writers  to-day  were 
any  less  dishonorable  twenty -five  centuries  ago.  Their 
pure  minds  cannot  be  made  to  admire  what  is  tricky  and 
false.  Tell  them — and  it  will  be  true — that  it  is  from  the 
Bible  that  we  gain  all  our  ideals  of  inflexible  integrity, 
and  they  will  ask  in  their  hearts,  if  not  in  words,  "  Doth 
a  fountain  send  forth  at  the  same  place  sweet  water  and 
bitter?  "  If  such  scholars  are  right  as  those  that  wrote 
the  Encyclopedia  Biblica,  if  the  Bible  is  a  farrago  of 
myths  and  misrepresentations,  we  have  no  further  use  for 
Bible  schools ;  we  might  far  better  set  our  children  to 
studying  Socrates  in  the  past  and  Emerson  and  Tolstoi  in 
the  present.  At  least  so  far  as  the  young  are  concerned 
there  is  no  midway  course;  it  is  either  the  rejection  of 
such  theories  with  horror,  or  the  rejection  of  the  Bible  as 
a  guide  for  the  young  along  ways  of  uprightness  and 
truth. 

This  is  an  age  of  cynicism.  We  need  to  teach  the 
young  the  blessed  power  of  faith.  Trust  men,  trust  your- 
self, trust  your  God, — hardly  could  three  more  valuable 
lessons  be  inculcated.  But  what  message  for  an  age  of 
cynicism  has  this  contemptuous  criticism,  that  does  not 
Hesitate  to  ascribe  to  the  authors  of  Scripture  motives 
that  would  forever  dishonor  a  modern  gentleman  ? 
Those  that  are  taught  in  such  a  school  might  well  carry 
forth  the  blasting  maxim,  "Every  man  has  his  price." 

And  not  only  is  this  an  age  of  cynicism ;  it  is  an  age 
of  materialism,  of  bowing  before  the  seen.     Against  this 


WHAT   TO   DO    WITH    "THE   HIGHER   CRITICISM"     233 

our  religious  education  must  arm  the  young,  if  they  are 
to  be  armed  against  it  at  all.  It  is  the  chief  count 
against  the  destructive  critics  of  the  Bible  that  they  are 
either  open  or  secret  disbelievers  in  the  supernatural. 
At  every  turn  they  minimize  it.  That  a  passage  in 
Scripture  reports  a  miracle  or  tends  to  substantiate  one, 
is  to  their  minds  conclusive  evidence  against  its  genu- 
ineness. 

Now  the  young  have  no  difficulty  with  miracles  and 
other  manifestations  of  the  supernatural.  They  see  the 
reasonableness  of  the  supernatural.  They  are  not  yet 
sense-bound.  Miracles  appeal,  not  to  their  love  of  the 
marvelous,  but  to  their  fresh  and  untrammeled  instincts, 
free  thus  far  from  the  yoke  of  the  visible  universe.  The 
Bible  is  the  book  of  the  young  and  of  the  old  because  it 
reveals  most  clearly  the  unseen  world  to  which  young 
and  old  are  nearest.  Too  soon  the  yoke  of  dollars  will 
press  upon  our  children's  necks.  Let  us  teach  them  to 
throw  it  off,  and  gaze  straight  up  into  heaven.  One 
thing,  one  thing  above  all  others  I  would  have  a  child  of 
mine  taught,  and  that  is  the  vivid  reality  of  the  super- 
natural, the  certainty  of  the  spiritual  world,  so  that  he 
shall  be  more  conscious  of  God's  eye  than  of  any  human 
countenance,  more  sure  of  God's  leading  than  of  any 
human  opinion.  I  would  rather  my  child  should  be  a 
believer  in  special  providences  than  in  the  Pythagorean 
theorem.  That  my  child's  life  should  be  interwoven  with 
the  supernatural  will  be  of  infinitely  greater  advantage, 
mental  and  practical,  than  a  knowledge  of  history  and 
science  and  art. 

Many  modern  tendencies  in  the  Sunday  schools  contra- 


234  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

vene  all  this.  Men  are  talking  about  Sunday-school  les- 
sons as  if  the  teaching  of  conduct,  the  making  of  Chris- 
tians, were  secondary,  while  the  prime  purpose  should  be 
a  mastery  of  Hebrew  history  and  literature.  I  am  ready 
to  be  counted  an  old  fogy.  I  am  ready  to  admit  my  be- 
lief that  if  you  eliminate  from  Hebrew  history  the  story 
of  the  Cross,  as  the  vitalizing  nerve  of  it  all,  our  scholars 
would  get  more  good  from  a  history  of  America  ;  if  your 
study  of  Hebrew  literature  is  only  a  simplified  edition  of 
the  International  Critical  Commentary,  if  it  is  to  be 
studied  apart  from  the  life  and  not  as  our  only  and  ade- 
quate rule  of  faith  and  conduct,  then  I  think  our  Sunday 
schools  would  better  turn  to  English  literature. 

What  the  young  need  most  is  trust  to  conquer  cyni- 
cism, the  spiritual  and  unseen  to  conquer  materialism, 
Calvary  to  conquer  Yanity  Fair.  In  these  three  things 
their  safety  consists,  and  not  in  any  furbishing  of  the  in- 
tellect with  strophes  and  antistrophes,  priestly  code  or 
Maccabean  era. 

What  shall  be  our  Bible-teaching,  that  these  strong 
ends  shall  be  gained  from  It  ?  What  Bible-teaching  is 
safe  for  the  young,  and  will  give  their  lives  a  safe  foun- 
dation ?     It  will  have  six  elements. 

First,  Bible  history,  but  Bible  history  taught  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  God's  clear  leading  in  the  history, 
and  therefore,  less  evidently  but  no  less  really,  in  all  his- 
tory. It  is  this  great  and  constant  purpose  that  should 
characterize  all  our  teaching  of  Bible  history  in  the  Sun- 
day school. 

Second,  Bible  literature,  but  Bible  literature  taught  as 
God's  words  to  men,  his  authentic  message,  the  fountain 


WHAT  TO   DO   WITH   "THE   HIGHER  CRITICISM"     235 

and  test  therefore  of  all  other  literature,  in  beauty,  va- 
riety, and  worldwide,  perennial  power.  All  lesser  teach- 
ing of  Bible  literature  is  like  using  gold  to  paint  a 
barn. 

Third,  Bible  ethics,  but  as  the  source,  the  authoritative 
source  of  our  human  laws,  as  the  one  sufficient  guide  of 
human  life.  To  teach  it  as  we  would  teach  the  ethics  of 
Plato  is  to  place  modern  London  on  the  level  of  modern 
Athens. 

Fourth,  Bible  revelation,  the  teachings  of  the  Bible 
about  hidden  things,  about  immortality,  heaven,  and  hell, 
about  the  nature  of  God,  about  conscience,  sin,  penalty, 
conversion,  regeneration,  sanctih'cation,  inspiration. 
These  great  truths  should  be  taught  as  coincident  witli 
reason  and  approved  by  experience,  but  yet  as  issuing 
from  the  very  mind  of  God,  who  alone  could  conceive 
them  and  reveal  them  to  us. 

Fifth,  Christ,  the  climax  and  sum  of  revelation,  his 
character,  in  all  its  appealing  grace,  its  convincing  maj- 
esty, the  one  enfolding  miracle  of  all  miracles. 

And  sixth,  the  history  of  the  Book,  how  it  was  made, 
its  unity,  the  impossibility  that  such  men  as  its  writers 
and  such  circumstances  as  surrounded  its  production 
could  have  yielded  such  a  book  unaided  by  the  controlling 
will  and  immediate  guidance  of  God  such  as  no  other 
book  has  had ;  and  then  its  transmission,  the  wonderful 
story  of  the  manuscripts,  of  the  Vatican,  of  Sinai,  of 
Egyptian  sands  and  Babylonian  hills,  the  translations 
and  versions,  the  martyrs,  the  Wycliffes  and  Tyndales; 
and  finally  the  Bible  at  work  in  the  modern  world,  the 
marvels  of  missions,  and  the  vast  and  beneficent  civiliza- 


236  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

tions  built  upon  the  Book, — a  structure  such  as  only  the 
Immutable  Rock  of  Holy  Scripture  could  sustain. 

Ah,  let  us  teach  our  children  these  six  things  before 
we  trouble  them  with  the  question  of  two  Isaiahs  or  the 
date  of  Deuteronomy  !  And  what  I  say  of  children  I 
say  also  of  those  childlike,  undeveloped  minds  found, 
often  preponderatingly,  in  all  congregations.  Too  much 
preaching  is  for  the  handful  of  scholars  that  may  be  in 
the  church.  For  their  sake  topics  are  treated  that  do  not 
shake  their  well-founded  faith,  but  for  the  large  majority 
send  the  entire  fabric  of  religion  tumbling  down.  An 
iconoclastic  impression  is  given  rather  than  an  edifying 
one.  We  need  a  sense  of  proportion.  We  need  to  learn 
how  ignorant  of  the  Bible  the  masses  really  are,  how 
poorly  founded  in  their  faith,  and  we  need  to  set  to  work 
on  fundamentals. 

I  long  to  see  more  teaching  of  Christian  evidences,  more 
proofs  in  sermons  and  Sunday  schools.  Not  proof  texts, 
observe,  but  proofs  of  proof  texts.  The  world,  young 
and  old,  can  readily  spare  a  recital  of  what  we  do  not 
believe ;  they  need  to  be  told  what  we  do  believe,  and  to 
be  made  to  believe  it.  It  would  be  a  vast  gain,  for  in- 
stance, if  our  ministers  would  take  half  the  meeting  hour 
of  their  young  people's  societies  for  definite  instruction 
in  Christian  evidences,  with  such  a  text- book  as  Robin- 
son's or  Fisher's.  If  there  are  doubts,  the  young  should 
be  shielded  from  them.  If  there  are  realities,  confidence, 
conviction,  the  young  have  a  right  to  them.  So  far  from 
being  introduced  to  infidelities,  unconsciously  to  them- 
selves they  should  be  armed  against  them.  The  founda- 
tions of  our  holy  faith  should  be  laid  in  their  young  lives 


237 

so  securely  that  no  assault  of  the  devil  should  in  later 
years  batter  them  down. 

The  walls  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  that  John  saw  in  his 
vision,--— I  think  of  them  as  still  a- building,  and  as  made 
of  the  Christ-inspired  deeds  of  men.  Course  upon  course 
they  rise  into  the  celestial  azure,  sapphire  and  jasper, 
emerald  and  chrysoprase,  the  enduring  counterpart  of 
lives  lived  rightly  here  on  earth.  Some  day  they  will 
descend  out  of  heaven,  all  these  heaped-up  stores  of 
divine  grace  and  human  obedience,  and  will  surround  and 
capture  and  transform  till  we  shall  have  a  new  earth  after 
the  pattern  of  heaven.  In  that  day  we  shall  see,  I  think, 
that  of  all  the  fair  blocks  laid  in  the  celestial  walls  none 
are  fairer,  none  more  resplendent  with  enduring  lustre, 
than  those  that  mean  the  teaching  of  God's  truth  to  the 
children.  If  we  would  have  a  share  in  that  divine  up- 
building, we  must  teach  as  God's  wisdom  teaches  us,  our 
work  must  be  without  the  flaws  of  pride  and  presump- 
tion, the  fool's  gold  of  worldly  vanities.  With  the  hum- 
ble heart  of  a  child  we  must  seek  what  God  would  have 
us  teach  the  children,  and  he  who  hides  himself  from  the 
wise  and  prudent  but  reveals  himself  to  babes  will  gra- 
ciously guide  us  into  all  truth. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THAT    EASILY    POSSIBLE  TEACHERS' MEETING 

Not  everywhere  is  it  possible  to  form  a  normal  class 
in  which  teachers  shall  be  taught,  but  it  is  possible  every- 
where to  hold  a  teachers'-meeting  in  which  teachers  shall 
confer.  Nor  even  when,  from  geographical  limitations, 
the  teachers  cannot  actually  meet,  would  I  grant  the  im- 
possibility of  a  teachers'-meeting,  since  a  "round  robin  " 
could  be  passed  from  one  to  another,  each  relating  in 
writing  his  perplexities  and  successes,  and  commenting 
on  the  letters  that  have  preceded. 

The  teachers'-meeting  is  a  sort  of  Sunday-school  stock 
exchange,  to  which  every  teacher  contributes  what  he 
knows  about  the  school,  the  lesson,  and  how  to 
teach  it,  and  from  which  he  goes  enriched  by  all  that  the 
others  know.  For  its  leader  there  is  needed,  not  a  super- 
lative4 teacher,  but  a  good  executive,  able  to  draw  from 
each,  in  an  orderly  and  attractive  way,  whatever  he  can 
contribute  to  the  aid  of  all. 

If  this  simple  ideal  were  kept  before  us,  more  teachers'- 
meetings  would  be  undertaken  and  fewer  would  be  aban- 
doned. The  trouble  generally  is  that  the  teachers'-meet- 
ing is  conducted  by  some  teacher  of  an  adult  class,  and 
as  an  adult  class.  It  is  forgotten  that  the  majority  of 
teachers  are  teachers  of  children,  and  the  children's 
needs  are  ignored.  The  meeting  is  too  old  ;  no  wonder 
it  dies. 

238 


THAT  EASILY   POSSIBLE  TEACHERS'-MEETING     239 

"  As  iron  sharpeneth  iron,  so  man  sharpeneth  the 
countenance  of  his  friend."  Though  all  the  teachers  are 
commonplace,  that  need  not  prevent  their  helping  one 
another ;  and  those  that  avail  themselves  of  others'  help 
do  not  long  remain  commonplace.  If  you  think  your- 
self unable  in  the  least  to  inform  or  inspire  your  fellow- 
teachers,  you  think  too  lowly  of  yourself.  If  you  think 
you  do  not  need  the  help  of  even  the  least  of  them,  you 
think  too  highly  of  yourself. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  kinds  of  teachers'-meeting 
requires  from  the  teachers  no  originality  whatever,  merely 
wise  selection.  Simply  let  the  teachers  conspire  together 
to  own  as  great  a  variety  of  teachers'  helps  as  possible, — 
Peloubet's,  Hurlbut's,  Monday  Club,  the  rest  of  the  an- 
nuals ;  Westminster,  Pilgrim,  Journal,  Baptist  Teacher, 
the  rest  of  the  monthlies ;  The  Sunday  School  Times,  In- 
ternational Evangel,  English  Sunday  School  Chronicle, 
the  rest  of  the  weeklies, — and  let  each  bring  to  the  les- 
son discussion  the  best  plan  and  brightest  thought  from 
his  own  book  or  periodical.  Then  add,  for  the  teacher's 
art  and  the  general  conduct  of  the  school,  such  books  as 
Dr.  Trumbull's  wise  "Teaching  and  Teachers,"  a  chapter 
a  night,  with  free  comments.  What  school  would  not 
be  blessed  by  a  teachers'-meeting  like  this,  so  easily  pos- 
sible ? 

Many  teachers'-meetings  come  to  be  abandoned  because 
they  are  one-man  meetings,  and  when  the  one  man  yields 
to  nervous  prostration,  they  also  die.  Now  there  are  a 
number  of  ways  of  dividing  the  work  required  by  a 
teachers'-meeting.  One  is,  to  make  each  teacher  in  turn 
responsible  for  the  conduct  of  a  meeting,  with  liberty  to 


240  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

get  his  work  done  for  him,  if  he  can,  by  some  skilled 
teacher  from  a  distance. 

An  excellent  method  is  to  persuade  each  teacher  to 
adopt  a  specialty.  Mr.  Cadwallader  may  decide  to  be- 
come local  authority  on  Hebrew  customs.  Miss  Ben- 
thorp  may  take  up  the  work  of  collecting  attractive  and 
telling  anecdotes  and  illustrations.  Mrs.  Ogleby  may  de- 
cide to  perfect  herself  in  blackboard  work.  Others  will 
look  after  the  course  of  history,  the  practical  applica- 
tions, the  side-lights  from  other  Scriptures,  and  so  forth. 
Each  will  polish  his  specialty  on  every  lesson  until  it 
shines,  and  some  day  they  will  all  trade  specialties  with 
one  another. 

The  same  end,  the  division  of  labor,  may  be  gained  by 
the  lavish  appointment  of  committees  of  one, — a  com- 
mittee to  read  the  newspapers,  and  bring  to  the  lesson 
the  light  of  current  events ;  a  committee  to  visit  other 
schools  and  correspond  with  them  in  quest  of  fresh 
methods  ;  a  committee  on  suggestions  from  papers  and 
books  ;  a  committee  on  Sunday-school  conventions,  to  at- 
tend in  person  or  to  read  the  reports  and  glean  from 
them,  and  the  like.  Of  course,  all  the  teachers  would 
serve  on  these  committees  in  turn. 

The  executive  committee,  however,  the  planning  and 
managing  committee,  might  well  be  permanent,  after 
you  get  a  successful  one.  Among  the  factors  of  their 
success  will  be  their  power  of  drawing  out  plans  from 
others.  There  might  well  be  a  regular  time,  in  every 
meeting,  to  invite  new  ideas  for  the  conduct  of  future 
meetings.  Indeed,  though  the  teachers'-meetings  should 
be  methodical,  and  should  proceed,  at  least  for  a  period, 


THAT  EASILY   POSSIBLE  TEACHERS'-MEETING     241 

according  to  a  well-digested  system,  yet  they  should  be 
to  the  teachers  a  model  of  varied  ingenuity,  since,  if  they 
fall  into  a  rut,  the  school  will  certainly  tumble  after. 

For  example  of  possible  variety,  take  the  opening 
reading  of  the  lesson  text.  Two  teachers  might  read  it 
antiphonally,  one  giving  a  verse  in  the  Authorized  Ver- 
sion, the  other  following  with  the  same  verse  in  the  Re- 
vised Version.  Now  the  text  might  be  read  in  a  para- 
phrase, and  now  in  a  poetical  rendering.  Some  German 
scholar  might  translate  it  from  Luther's  Bible,  or  some 
classical  scholar  from  the  Greek.  The  conversational 
and  dramatic  selections  could  be  arranged  as  dialogues. 
The  reading  of  verses  might  be  interlarded  with  brisk, 
revealing  comments. 

Indeed,  though  the  outline  of  exercises  may  remain 
constant,  let  the  emphasis  continually  vary.  This  week 
make  a  specialty  of  the  study  of  questions,  next  week  of 
illustrative  applications,  next  week  of  reviews,  next  week 
of  the  important  matter  of  lesson  outlines.  There  might 
even  be  a  short  paper  on  the  evening's  specialty,  followed 
by  a  discussion  and  examples;  and  thus,  though  the  en- 
tire lesson  is  always  studied,  every  meeting  will  mark  a 
distinct  pedagogical  advance. 

Next  to  promptness  in  arriving,  the  meeting's  vigor 
will  depend  on  the  leader's  celerity  in  grappling  with  the 
main  subject.  A  vast  amount  of  time  is  wasted  in  teach- 
ers'-meetings  in  clumsy  efforts  at  thoroughness,  leading 
to  the  relation  of  much  that  the  teachers  know  perfectly 
well  already.  A  good  leader  will  consider  first  of  all 
how  much  may  safely  be  omitted  and  taken  for  granted. 
A  verse- by- verse  treatment  is  seldom  needed.     The  best 


OF  VHE 


UNIVERSITY  J 


242  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

introduction  to  most  divisions  of  the  lesson  is  the  simple 
query,  "  Has  any  one  a  question  to  ask  on  this  point  ?  " 
Occasionally  make  a  special  request  that  each  teacher 
bring  to  the  next  meeting  one  difficulty  he  has  encoun- 
tered in  the  study  of  the  lesson,  and  then  attack  these 
difficulties  at  the  very  outset. 

Get  the  Teachers  to  Question.— Broadly  speaking,  the 
more  the  teachers  themselves  can  be  persuaded  into  the 
interrogative  mood  the  better.  Distribute  slips  of  paper 
now  and  then,  that  the  teachers  may  write  out  their  per- 
plexities for  discussion  at  the  next  meeting.  Occasion- 
ally get  a  skilled  worker  to  preside  over  a  "  question- 
box,"  or  get  a  skilled  questioner  to  plan  queries  for  an 
"  answer- box,"  to  be  filled  by  the  teachers.  Sometimes 
appoint  a  teacher  who  will  prepare  himself  to  stand  up 
and  be  questioned  on  the  lesson,  and  sometimes  appoint 
a  teacher  to  prepare  a  set  of  questions  for  use  at  the  next 
meeting.  This  last  will  be  an  especially  valuable  exercise 
if  you  will  criticise  these  questions,  regarding  both  form 
and  matter,  as  they  are  used.  Sometimes  select  a  printed 
set  of  questions,  and  make  them  the  basis  of  the  study, 
criticising  them  also.  Few  of  our  teachers'-meetings 
give  sufficient  drill  on  the  teacher's  fundamental  art,  the 
art  of  questioning. 

As  another  general  rule,  the  more  the  teachers'-meet- 
ing  is  planned  to  draw  out  all  the  teachers,  especially  the 
retiring  ones,  the  more  useful  and  attractive  will  it  be. 
There  are  many  methods.  For  a  while,  appoint  one 
teacher  each  week  to  tell  how  he  proposes  to  teach  his 
class  on  the  next  Sunday.  Then  let  the  whole  meeting 
criticise  his  plan,  favorably  or  unfavorably.     Now  and 


THAT  EASILY   POSSIBLE  TEACHERS'-MEETING     243 

then,  for  a  change,  ask  Miss  A to  tell  how  she  would 

teach  the  lesson  to  Mr.  B 's  class,  getting  the  primary 

teacher,  for  instance,  to  describe  her  ideal  of  an  hour  in 
the  adult  class.  One  week,  ask  all  the  teachers  to  come 
ready  to  name  what  each  will  make  the  leading  thought 
in  the  lesson  as  he  teaches  it.  Another  week,  divide  the 
verses  among  the  teachers,  requesting  each  to  bring  the 
brightest  thought  he  can  find  on  his  verse,  original  or 
selected.  Occasionally  assign  to  each  teacher  one  or 
more  verses  of  the  lesson  text,  that  he  may  lead  the  dis- 
cussion of  that  portion  at  the  next  meeting.  Once  in  a 
while,  not  often,  persuade  a  teacher  to  treat  the  other 
teachers  as  children,  and  teach  the  lesson  to  them  as  she 
would  teach  her  own  class,  that  she  may  profit  by  help- 
ful criticism.  Urge  the  constant  use  of  notebooks,  and, 
that  the  points  of  especial  helpfulness  may  not  be  lost  in 
a  swarm  of  details,  select  for  each  week  a  summarist, 
who  will  close  the  session  with  brisk  reminders  of  the 
best  suggestions.  In  many  other  ways  besides  these  the 
members  of  the  class  may  be  set  to  work. 

Do  not,  in  your  zeal  for  the  lesson,  forget  the  general 
interests  of  the  school.  At  regular  intervals  you  might 
make  time  for  papers  on  the  several  problems  of  your 
school,  each  introducing  a  thorough  discussion.  It  would 
be  an  excellent  plan  to  fix  a  "  problem  time  "  in  every 
teachers'-meeting, — a  time  for  the  statement  of  difficulties 
connected  with  school  management  or  with  teaching. 
The  themes  thus  brought  up  will  be  treated  in  their  turn 
as  soon  as  is  convenient.  The  same  end  may  be  gained, 
if  the  teachers  are  in  earnest,  by  a  "  suggestion  box,"  or 
a  "  problem  box,"  placed  at  the  entrance  of  their  meet- 


24-4  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

ing-room.  It  will  prove  a  great  gain  if  now  and  then  the 
teachers'-meeting  shall  resolve  itself  into  a  prayer  meet- 
ing at  the  close,  and  carry  these  perplexities  to  the  Teacher 
of  teachers. 

Hold  Closely  to  the  Lesson. — It  is  certain,  however, 
that  the  teachers  will  be  held  most  closely  to  the  meeting 
if  the  greater  part  of  each  session,  though  the  general 
interests  of  the  school  are  not  forgotten,  bears  practically 
and  directly  on  the  next  Sunday's  lesson,  giving  them 
what  they  can  utilize  in  their  classes.  For  example, 
open  each  teachers'-meeting  with  few  preliminaries,  little 
singing,  a  brief  prayer.  Manage  to  present  always  at  the 
start  some  broad  view  of  the  lesson,  which  will  act  as  a 
solvent,  a  combiner,  an  organizer.  Every  school  should 
own  some  manifolding  contrivance,  and  by  its  use  a  copy 
of  such  an  outline  might  be  made  for  every  teacher 
together  with  copies  of  some  illuminating  poem,  useful 
for  distribution  among  the  scholars,  or  even  of  some 
clarifying  diagram,  or  suggestive  sketch,  or  map.  Indeed, 
it  would  be  easy  for  this  teachers'  organization  to 
gather  and  own  a  large  and  increasingly  valuable  col- 
lection of  pictures  to  illustrate  the  lessons,  and  even 
of  "  curios "  illustrating  the  customs  of  Eastern 
countries. 

At  the  opening  of  each  quarter,  a  "looking  forward" 
meeting  should  be  held.  The  outline  of  history  to  be 
studied  might  be  fixed  by  diagrams  and  a  paper  or  a 
talk.  The  logical  succession  and  interdependence  of  the 
lessons  should  be  brought  out.  A  series  of  lesson  key- 
words might  be  adopted.  The  quarter's  Golden  Text 
might  be  studied,  and  the  teachers  should  decide  what 


THAT   EASILY   POSSIBLE  TEACHERS'-MEETING     245 

are  the  main  truths  to  be  evolved  from  the  three  months' 
lessons,  and  what  facts,  as  well  as  what  spiritual  impres- 
sions, the  scholars  may  fairly  be  expected  to  carry  from 
the  quarter's  study. 

Midway  through  the  term  (I  am  merely  giving  sample 
outlines)  the  teachers  might  hold  a  "  question  meeting," 
in  preparation  for  which  the  following  comprehensive 
queries  might  be  printed  on  a  manifolder,  and  distributed 
among  the  teachers  :  "  How  are  you  going  to  review  the 
last  lesson  ?  How  will  you  bring  out  the  connecting 
links  between  the  last  lesson  and  this  ?  How  will  you 
introduce  this  lesson  ?  How  bring  out  its  facts  ?  How 
impress  them  ?  How  illustrate  its  truths  ?  How  apply 
them  to  the  lives  of  your  scholars  ?  How  set  your 
scholars  to  studying  the  next  lesson  ?  "  Eight  teachers 
should  be  appointed,  one  for  each  of  these  questions,  to 
lead  in  the  discussion  of  it. 

Then,  at  the  close  of  the  quarter,  there  should  be  held 
a  "  looking-backward  "  meeting,  in  which,  at  all  events, 
one  plan  for  review  day  may  be  illustrated.  For  in- 
stance, the  teachers  might  practice  describing  for  each 
other  the  various  scenes  studied  during  the  quarter, 
omitting  all  proper  names  and  other  manifest  designa- 
tions, the  rest  of  the  teachers  to  guess  what  scene  in  each 
case  has  been  described.  The  week  before, — on  another 
occasion, — each  teacher  might  be  asked  to  prepare  a  set 
of  twelve  questions,  which,  in  his  judgment,  will  best 
draw  out  the  facts  and  truths  of  the  quarter,  and  from 
these  sets  the  teachers  would  put  together  a  model  dozen 
of  questions.  At  other  times,  the  meeting  might  con- 
sider what  simple  outline  would  best  fix  the  course  of  the 


246  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

history  studied,  or  the  teachers  might  prepare  a  scheme 
for  written  examinations  in  all  classes. 

And  now  I  have  sufficiently  illustrated  my  idea  of  a 
teachers'-meeting, — a  meeting  so  simple  in  its  elements 
that  any  set  of  teachers  may  successfully  conduct  it,  yet 
so  expansive  and  enticing  in  its  possibilities  that  the 
wisest  and  most  skilful  may  find  in  it  the  amplest  scope. 
It  is  not  to  take  the  place  of  individual  study,  or  of  special 
plans  suited  to  the  needs  of  individual  classes.  Its  pur- 
pose is  information  and  inspiration,  not  adaptation. 
There  is  no  short  cut  to  Sunday-school  success,  and  no 
teachers'-meeting  can  convert  a  lazy  man  into  a  teacher. 
But  wherever  a  company  of  earnest,  teachable  Christians, 
longing  after  the  garner  of  souls,  meet  together  with  the 
single  purpose  to  become  better  teachers,  there  will  the 
Teacher  be  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  there  will  he  him- 
self conduct  a  school  of  the  prophets. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE   RIGHT   BAIT 

When  I  go  fishing  up  in  the  Maine  wilderness,  I  find 
that  it  makes  all  the  difference  in  the  world  what  fly  I 
put  on  my  line.  Certain  conditions  of  water,  weather, 
and  time  of  day  call  for  a  "  dusky  miller."  Certain  quite 
different  conditions  call  for  a  "  silver  doctor."  When  a 
trout  wants  a  "  Parmachene  belle  "  he  wants  just  that, 
and  nothing  else.     Except  a  worm. 

There  is  one  problem  that  is  foremost  in  the  thoughts 
of  all  earnest  Sunday-school  workers,  and  that  is  how  to 
catch  and  hold  the  boys.  This  anxiety  overmatches  all 
other  anxieties  combined.  And  the  question,  as  I  look  at 
it,  is  primarily  one  of  the  right  bait. 

When  I  go  fishing  for  trout,  I  do  not  consider  what  I 
liked  for  breakfast  nor  what  I  want  for  dinner;  I  con- 
sider what  the  trout's  mouth  is  watering  for.  When  the 
average  teacher  goes  fishing  for  a  boy,  however,  I  fear 
that  she  bases  her  campaign  entirely  on  her  own  likes 
and  dislikes.  She  is  interested  in  pretty  little  stories 
with  lovely  morals,  and  she  takes  it  for  granted  that  the 
boys  will  be  interested  in  the  same  thing.  She  is  fasci- 
nated with  a  volume  of  Mr.  Meyer's  noble  expositions, 
and  she  jumps  to  the  conclusion  that  the  boys  will  be  glad 
to  have  her  read  a  chapter  to  them.  She  is  delighted  to 
discover  the  hidden  symbolism  of  the  Bible,  as  that 
Goliath  typifies  worldliness  and  David  the  quiet  power 

247 


24S  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

of  Christian  faith,  and  she  is  entirely  oblivious  to  the 
boy's  concentration  of  interest  on  Goliath's  armor  and 
David's  sling.  In  short,  when  the  trout  wanted  "dusky 
millers"  she  has  been  baiting  her  line  with  "silver 
doctors,"  and  the  trout  swim  scornfully  away. 

No  one  can  win  a  boy  except  with  what  a  boy  likes. 
The  teacher's  first  task,  therefore,  is  to  discover  what 
the  boy  likes.  The  discovery  may  be  made  in  four 
ways:  (1)  by  intuition,  an  instinctive  sympathy  with 
boys;  (2)  by  living  with  boys  and  watching  them;  (3) 
by  intelligent  and  patient  experimentation,  trying  this 
and  that  and  developing  what  is  found  effective;  (4)  by 
the  careful  reading  of  sensible  books  on  the  question. 
Number  1  is  a  gift  of  heaven  ;  number  2  is  a  gift  of  cir- 
cumstances ;  all  of  us  have  the  beginnings  of  both  within 
our  power,  and  can  go  on  to  develop  them.  I  see  no  rea- 
son, therefore,  why  the  teacher  may  not  work  simulta- 
neously along  all  four  lines  of  approach  to  the  boy. 

Thus  working,  he  will  discover  three  fundamental  facts 
about  the  boy:  (1)  that  he  is  gregarious;  (2)  that  he  is 
play-loving  ;  (3)  that  he  likes  to  do  things.  The  teacher, 
man  or  woman,  (and  it  may  be  a  woman  quite  as  success- 
fully as  a  man,  though  it  usually  isn't,)  that  wins  the 
heart  of  the  boy,  will  deal  not  with  the  boy  but  with  the 
boys.  He  will  get  up  a  club  of  some  sort,  and  ally  it 
with  his  Sunday-school  class.  It  may  be  a  walking  club, 
or  a  natural  history  club,  or  a  tennis  club,  or  a  checkers 
club,  or  a  debating  club.  Some  way  or  other,  he  will 
utilize  the  social  instinct  of  boys.  What  he  could  never 
in  the  world  accomplish  with  one  boy  he  can  easily 
achieve  with  twenty. 


THE  RIGHT   BAIT  249 

Then,  he  will  put  his  Sunday-school  work  itself  as  far 
as  possible  in  the  form  of  play.  Contests  to  see  who  can 
learn  the  most  verses,  draw  the  best  map,  answer  most 
questions.  Bible  puzzles  to  solve.  The  "spell-him- 
down "  scheme  applied  to  the  lesson  facts.  Wooden 
models  to  whittle  out.  Diagrams  to  construct.  Home 
studies  to  draw  by  lot.  Why,  if  the  teacher  fairly 
enters  into  the  idea,  she  can  make  Bible-study  as  fasci- 
nating a  pursuit  as  foot-ball. 

And  finally,  the  boy-winning  teacher  will  remember 
that  the  boy  would  always  rather  do  things  than  say 
things  or  hear  things  or  even  see  things.  Every  boy 
will  have  a  pencil  tablet  and  pencil.  Much  of  the  recita- 
tion will  be  written,  or  drawn.  Colored  pencils  will  be 
at  hand,  for  brightening  maps.  A  blackboard  will  bo 
part  of  the  class  furniture.  Bible-marking  will  become  a 
fascinating  pursuit.  Sand-maps  will  vivify  Bible  geog- 
raphy. There  will  be  Bible  biographies  to  write. 
There  will  be  charts  to  devise.  In  all  her  work  the 
teacher  will  ask  herself  not,  "  What  shall  I  do  ? "  but, 
"  What  can  I  get  the  boys  to  do  ?  " 

Of  course,  these  three  suggestions  run  into  one  an- 
other. Of  course,  too,  they  cover  only  a  part  of  the 
ground.  But  they  cover  a  very  important  part  of  the 
ground ;  and  I  am  quite  certain  that  attention  to  them 
would  double  the  number  of  boys  in  our  Sunday  schools. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

HOW   TO    USE   DECISION   DAY 

A  Teacher's  Dream.— The  teacher  was  dreaming. 
Sunday-school  teachers  often  dream,  and  sometimes  their 
dreams  are  nightmares. 

But  this  dream  contained  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  was 
standing  with  his  arms  stretched  out,  and  in  his  eyes  was 
an  eager  look. 

"  Where  are  the  souls  of  my  children  ?  "  he  asked  the 
teacher. 

"  Here  are  their  bodies,"  the  teacher  was  able  to  re- 
ply.   "  They  come  to  school  very  regularly  and  promptly." 

Jesus  took  the  bodies,  and  they  turned  to  dust  in  his 
hands. 

"  Where  are  the  souls  of  my  children  ? "  Christ  in- 
sisted. 

"  Here  are  their  manners,"  faltered  the  teacher.  "  They 
are  quiet  and  very  respectful ;  they  listen  carefully.  In- 
deed, they  are  beautifully  behaved." 

Jesus  took  their  manners,  and  they  turned  to  ashes  in 
his  hands. 

Our  Lord  repeated  his  question,  "  Where  are  the  souls 
of  my  children  ?  " 

"  I  can  give  you  their  brains,"  the  teacher  answered. 
"They  can  name  all  the  books  of  the  Bible  forward  and 
backward.  They  can  repeat  the  list  of  the  Hebrew 
kings.     They  know  in  order  the  seventy  events  of  your 

250 


HOW   TO   USE  DECISION   DAY  251 

life  on  earth.  They  can  recite  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
from  beginning  to  end.  Really,  they  are  excellent 
scholars." 

Jesus  took  their  brains,  and  lo !  they  dissolved  to 
vapor,  and  a  puff  of  wind  blew  them  away. 

"Where  are  the  souls  of  my  children?"  urged  our 
Lord  with  sorrowful  longing. 

Then  the  teacher  was  filled  with  an  agony  of  shame 
that  broke  the  bands  of  sleep. 

"  Alas  ! "  cried  the  teacher,  "  I  have  done  much  for  my 
children,  but  it  is  all  nothing  because  I  have  not  also 
done  the  One  thing.  Henceforth  my  teaching,  though  it 
traverse  many  ways,  shall  have  One  goal,  and  perhaps  it 
will  be  given  me  to  dream  that  dream  again." 

What  it  means  to  bring  a  soul  to  Christ  few  realize,  or 
many  would  be  about  it.  For  that  soul  it  means  peace, 
exultant  and  growing.  It  means  power,  assured  and  in- 
creasing. It  means  honor  and  prosperity,  on  the  whole, 
even  in  this  troubled  world.  It  means  this  for  the  com- 
ing year,  and  those  months  multiplied  by  the  long  years 
of  life,  and  that  life  multiplied  by  the  unimagined 
stretches  of  eternity,  and  glorified  by  the  unguessed  joys 
of  Paradise.  It  means  this  for  one  soul,  and  for  all  the 
others  whom  that  one  may  reach,  and  for  the  myriads 
these  may  reach,  through  nations  and  generations.  This 
is  only  a  hint  of  what  it  means  to  bring  a  soul  to  Christ. 

To  do  this  work  is  the  main  business  of  every  Sun- 
day school.  I  fear  that  sometimes  the  most  applauded 
scholarship  of  these  recent  days  forgets  this,  and  seems, 
at  least,  to  consider  the  mummy  of  dead  facts  more  im- 
portant than  the  living  spirit  that  has  risen  from  those 


252  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

cerements.  Let  us  teach  our  scholars  in  the  proportions 
that  will  seem  fitting  to  us  a  thousand  years  from  now. 
In  the  clear  light  of  eternity  we  shall  perceive  how  the 
least  accretion  of  divine  character  enormously  outweighs 
all  encyclopedias  in  the  world,  and  that  the  details  of 
scholarship  are  of  value  only  as  they  build  character  and 
confirm  it. 

This  is  why  Decision  Day  is  the  one  great  day  of  our 
school  year.  Not  that  decisions  for  Christ  are  to  be 
sought  only  then  ;  they  are  to  be  sought  any  day,  and  all 
days.  Not  that  they  are  to  be  announced  only  then  ; 
they  are  to  be  announced  as  soon  as  made.  But  on  De- 
cision Day  this  great  thing  will  be  accomplished :  it  will 
be  rendered  certain  that,  at  least  once  this  year,  every 
unsaved  scholar  of  the  school  has  been  urged  to  decide 
for  Christ. 

I  want  to  tell  you  how  I  would  go  about  it. 

Imprimis,  begin  now.  The  first  decisions  of  Decision 
Day  must  be  made  by  the  teachers.  Hold  a  meeting, 
teachers  and  officers  together.  Let  each  teacher  tell  how 
many  scholars  in  his  class  are  yet  outside  the  church. 
By  the  time  this  list  is  completed,  you  will  have  formed 
a  sufficient  argument  for  Decision  Day.  You  will  decide 
to  observe  it. 

Next,  decide  that  each  teacher  will  have  in  private  a 
frank  and  full  talk  with  each  unsaved  scholar  in  his  class. 
Do  not  yield  to  the  temptation  to  call  in  some  earnest 
soul  who  will  "draw  the  net"  in  the  school.  Let  no  man 
reap  your  harvest ;  gather  it  yourselves. 

Excuses  are  so  easy  to  find  ! 

Your  scholars  mill  raise  doubts  that  you  cannot  answer. 


HOW  TO   USE   DECISION   DAY  253 

But  you  can  obtain  answers  from  others  wiser  than 
you,  and  always  you  can  hold  your  scholars  to  the  main 
question,  the  character  and  claims  of  Christ.  Always 
you  can  show  them  that  deciding  for  Christ  means  trust- 
ing him  for  all  things,  the  honest  intention  to  obey  him 
in  all  things,  and  saying  this  before  men. 

You  have  already  asked  them  to  confess  Christ  and 
join  his  church,  and  they  have  refused. 

Then  there  is  the  more  likelihood  that  the  next  time 
will  win  them  !  Let  them  understand  that  you  will  ask 
that  question  again  and  again,  until  it  is  answered  for 
God  and  heaven  and  happiness. 

They  are  careless  and  indifferent,  and  not  ready  to  join 
the  church. 

Christ  came  to  call  the  careless  and  indifferent.  They 
most  need  Christ.  And  beneath  this  mask  of  bold  de- 
nial, they,  for  all  you  know,  are  most  ready  to  come  to 
Christ. 

Others  would  have  more  influence  than  you. 

That  does  not  absolve  you  from  using  your  influence. 
And  even  if  they  refuse  you  now,  in  the  coming  years 
the  very  memory  of  your  faithful  pleading  may  draw 
them,  as  such  memories  have  drawn  thousands,  to  yield 
to  the  Saviour  they  now  reject. 

Still,  call  to  your  aid  the  influence  of  others.  Get 
the  help  of  the  parents.  Interest  the  Christian  scholars 
in  the  winning  of  their  friends.  The  pastor,  the  super- 
intendent, some  other  church-member,  may  be  asked  to 
speak  a  word  to  this  or  that.  A  sermon  should  be  called 
for, — a  brave,  tender,  ardent  appeal.  A  church  prayer 
meeting  and  a  young  people's  prayer  meeting  should  be 


254  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

given  up  to  the  theme.  Especially,  since  the  young  peo- 
ple are  both  timid  and  gregarious,  if  some  are  plainly 
Christians,  but  shrink  from  joining  the  church,  approach 
one  after  the  other  with  the  suggestion  that  they  come  in 
a  glorious  company,  a  united  class. 

If  in  this  way,  by  appeals  and  discussions  during  the 
lesson  hour,  and  especially  by  quiet  talks  of  teachers  and 
friends  with  the  scholars,  the  time  is  spent  during  the 
weeks  before  Decision  Day,  then  thai  day  will  be  what 
it  should  be,  less  a  day  for  making  decisions  than  for  an- 
nouncing those  already  made.  During  the  session  on 
Decision  Day  I  would  have  a  roll-call  of  classes.  Each 
teacher  in  turn  would  rise  and  announce  the  number  in 
his  class,  the  number  who  are  already  church  members, 
and  the  number  of  those  that  have  decided  for  the  Chris- 
tian life  and  wish  to  join  the  church.  Each  announce- 
ment should  be  received  with  some  appropriate  comment 
by  the  superintendent,  and  at  the  close  the  pastor,  or 
some  other  Christian  honored  by  all,  should  give  these 
new  confessors  a  word  of  hearty  greeting. 

As  to  the  question  whether  at  this  time  a  general 
appeal  should  be  made  calling  for  immediate  decisions 
and  public  confession  of  Christ,  pastors  and  teachers  and 
churches  will  differ.  In  churches  not  a  few,  most  blessed 
and  permanent  results  have  been  gained  from  just  this 
step,  following  the  thorough  preparation  I  have  outlined. 
If,  as  each  class  is  called,  the  Christians  and  those  now 
ready  to  confess  Christ  should  rise  together,  and  if  class 
after  class  should  thus  rise  and  remain  standing,  and  if 
at  the  beginning  and  close  of  the  roll-call  a  loving  invi- 
tation should  be  given  for  instant  decisions,  to  be  shown 


HOW  TO  USE  DECISION  DAY  255 

by  simply  standing  with  the  rest,  many  would  be  swept, 
by  the  current  of  feeling  and  action,  over  their  doubts 
and  difficulties,  which,  once  surmounted,  would  never 
trouble  them  again. 

Only,  one  caution :  let  nothing  be  done  or  said  that 
would  fix  a  soul  in  denial,  and  place  it  definitely  in  op- 
position to  Christ.  This  is  Decision  Day,  and  they  have 
not  decided  yet,*  that  is  all.  They  must  think  it  over. 
They  must  talk  it  over  with  their  teachers.  They  must 
pray  about  it.  They  must  never  call  it  a  closed  question 
till  the  right  decision  is  made.  And  they  must  remember 
that  to-morrow  may  be  too  late. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

BIBLE-MARKING    IN   THE   SUNDAY    SCHOOL 

Put  a  medicine  chest,  the  bottles  all  unlabeled,  in  a 
backwoods  cabin,  and  how  far  will  it  go  toward  tilling 
the  place  of  a  doctor  ?  Set  a  man  with  a  box  full  of 
unmarked  keys  before  a  locked  door,  and  how  long  will 
the  door  remain  closed  ?  Every  day  men's  hearts  are 
sick  with  troubles  for  which  the  Bible  contains  specifics. 
Every  day  confronts  us  with  difficulties  to  which  the 
Bible  holds  the  keys.  But  we  go  to  the  blessed  Book 
and  turn  its  pages  aimlessly,  far  more  likely  to  hit  upon 
the  wrong  passage  than  the  right  one. 

In  what  chapters  would  you  find  answers  for  a  man 
that  doubted  Christ's  divinity  ?  Where  would  you  find 
comfort  for  a  mourner?  From  what  part  of  the  volume 
will  you  gain  courage  to  undertake  a  difficult  task  ? 
AVhat  verses  are  sunshine  for  the  "  blues  "  ?  These  are 
practical  questions.  Of  what  use  is  your  Bible  unless 
you  can  use  it?  And  the  need  for  it  does  not  often 
come  with  a  concordance  in  its  hands. 

Every  one  that  has  tried  it,  knows  that  a  marked  Bible 
is  twice  and  thrice  a  Bible;  and  if  our  Sunday-school 
work  can  furnish  the  scholars  with  this  tool,  it  will  do 
much  toward  making  them  Bible-lovers  and  Bible-users. 

Therefore  I  am  an  advocate  of  Bible-marking  as  a 
regular  class  exercise ;  but  other  considerations  also  lead 
me  to  urge  the  practice.     For  one,  it  insures  the  presence 

256 


BIBLE-MARKING  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL        257 

of  Bibles  in  the  class.  To  attempt  to  teach  the  Bible 
merely  from  lesson  leaves  is  like  trying  to  get  an  idea 
of  an  oak  from  a  dried  oak-leaf.  Moreover,  this  Bible- 
marking  renders  it  quite  certain  that  the  Bible  will  be 
taught  as  a  whole;  David  will  supplement  John  and 
Isaiah  will  talk  with  Paul,  and  neither  Proverbs  nor  Ha- 
bakkuk  nor  the  Cana  miracle  nor  Timothy  will  be  allowed 
to  stand  as  the  Bible's  sole  temperance  teaching. 

The  exercise  of  Bible-marking  fixes  the  attention  of 
the  class.  It  creates  a  novel  interest,  born  of  eye  and 
hand  as  well  as  brain.  It  focuses  the  entire  scholar  on 
the  lesson. 

By  Bible-marking  the  teaching  is  rendered  definite.  You 
must  settle  on  the  main  theme,  and  all  your  Bible-mark- 
ing must  center  on  that.  When  review  day  comes,  and 
these  twelve  definite  and  emphasized  points  pass  before 
you,  the  culminating  advantages  of  the  plan  will  be  most 
clearly  shown. 

For  Sunday-school  use — and  for  home  use,  too,  for  that 
matter — I  believe  in  the  simplest  form  of  Bible-marking. 
I  would  use  ink,  for  permanence,  though  an  indelible 
pencil  is  nearly  as  good.  I  would  not  use  colored  inks 
or  pencils, — nothing  but  black.  I  would  never  confuse 
the  eye  with  markings  in  the  text,  but  would  make  all 
markings  in  the  margin. 

A  Suggested  System. — Every  teacher  will  do  well  to 
make  his  own  system ;  he  can  work  his  own  best.  My 
system  is  exceedingly  simple.  Opposite  each  text  I  write 
a  letter  or  letters  indicative  of  the  thought  I  find  promi- 
nent in  it.  Texts  on  faith  all  receive  an  F  in  the  margin  ; 
on  fidelity,  Fi.     G  is  for  God ;  Go,  for  goodness ;  Gr  for 


258  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

gratitude,  and  so  on.  Every  main  theme  has  its  subdivi- 
sions, which  I  number.  Gl,  for  example,  is  God's  omnip- 
otence; G2,  God's  omnipresence  ;  G3,  God's  omniscience. 
Finally,  for  each  of  these  subdivisions  I  fix  upon  a  key- 
text,  the  first  of  a  chain  of  texts  which  I  carry  through 
my  Bible.  Underneath  the  Gi  that  stands  in  the  margin 
opposite  my  key-text  for  God's  omnipotence,  I  write  the 
number  of  the  page  where  I  will  find  the  second  text 
on  that  subject.  Opposite  that  text  I  write  Gl,  and 
beneath  that  I  write  the  number  of  the  next  page  that 
contains  a  text  of  the  series,  and  so  on  in  a  chain  that 
will  not  be  completed  till  I  cease  to  find  in  the  Bible  any 
words  on  that  theme.  Since  I  have  no  financial  interest 
in  the  sale  of  the  book,  and  since  it  is  the  only  work  of 
the  kind,  I  venture  to  say  that  in  "The  Bible  Marks- 
man," sold  for  thirty-five  cents  by  the  United  Society  of 
Christian  Endeavor,  Boston,  Mass.,  I  have  written  out 
this  entire  system,  embodying  the  fifty-two  leading  Bible 
themes,  each  with  its  symbol  and  seven  sub-topics,  and 
with  thousands  of  texts  thus  classified. 

I  recommend  that  the  class  write  on  the  fly  leaves  of 
their  Bibles  their  key-texts  and  symbols,  placing  after 
each  the  number  of  the  page  where  the  chain  begins. 
Only  a  few  texts  should  be  marked  each  Sunday.  Do 
not  try  to  exhaust  the  subject.  Remember,  there  are 
other  Sabbaths,  and  the  same  theme  is  certain  to  come 
up  again.  Adding  to  the  chain  on  other  occasions  will 
perpetuate  the  interest. 

Make  use,  in  your  marking,  of  complete  stories  and 
entire  passages  as  well  as  single  verses.  When  you  wish 
to  refer  to  more  than  one  verse,  write  "  vs.  6-10,"  or 


BIBLE-MARKING   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL        259 

whatever  it  may  be,  underneath  the  symbol,  closing  the 
whole  with  the  number  of  the  next  page. 

For  the  proper  carrying  out  of  this  plan,  the  teacher 
will  find  it  best  to  look  ahead  over  the  quarter's  lessons 
or  the  year's,  choosing  among  the  many  topics  involved 
in  each  lesson  the  one  that  fits  into  the  Bible-marking 
course;  the  one,  that  is,  which  is  not  duplicated  by  les- 
sons soon  to  come.  It  is  necessary,  also,  to  keep  on  hand 
a  supply  of  pens  and  ink,  blotters,  erasers,  and  whatever 
else  is  required  for  the  exercise. 

As  the  teacher  continues  this  practice  of  Bible-marking, 
many  gains  will  show  themselves,  additional  to  those  that 
1  have  already  detailed.  Each  scholar  will  want  his  own 
Bible;  and,  since  so  much  work  is  to  be  put  upon  it,  this 
should  be  a  Bible  worth  keeping  all  through  life,  a  Bible 
with  good  paper,  large  type,  wide  margins,  substantial 
bindings.  The  parents  may  easily  be  interested  in  pro- 
viding such  Bibles  for  their  children. 

Neatness  may  be  taught, — nay,  must  be, — and  some 
reward  may  be  given  for  the  most  beautiful  work. 

A  practical  knowledge  of  the  books  of  the  Bible  is 
gained,  and  the  scholars  rapidly  become  familiar  not 
only  with  the  order  of  the  books,  but  even  with  the  con- 
tents of  many  books  whose  very  names  were  formerly 
almost  unknown  to  them. 

The  exercise  may  be  used  to  promote  committing  the 
Bible  to  memory.  Get  the  scholars  each  Sunday  to  vote 
on  the  verses  they  have  marked,  selecting  their  favorite, 
and  then  learning  it  by  heart  through  the  week,  so  that 
each  one  can  say  it,  with  book,  chapter,  and  verse  number, 
on  the  next  Lord's  day. 


260  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

Best  of  all,  perhaps,  the  teacher  may  use  the  Bible- 
marking  to  promote  home  study.  Tell  the  class  in  ad- 
vance around  what  theme  the  next  Sunday's  Bible-mark- 
ing is  to  center.  Show  them  how  to  use  Bible  index 
and  concordance.  Urge  them  to  make  at  home  a  little 
collection  of  texts  suitable  to  be  marked,  each  text  to  be 
read  by  the  class,  voted  upon,  and,  if  adopted,  incorpo- 
rated in  the  class  chain  of  verses. 

I  have  indicated  only  a  few  of  the  ways  in  which  a 
live  teacher  may  make  use  of  Bible-marking  as  a  class 
exercise.  Consecrated  ingenuity  will  discover  and  invent 
many  other  ways,  to  the  great  profit  of  the  class,  and 
their  decided  advancement  in  Bible  knowledge. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

HOW  TO  INSPIRE  LOVE  FOR  THE  BIBLE 

This,  after  all,  is  the  great  problem  for  Sunday-school 
workers.  When  our  children  become  Bible-lovers,  they 
will  attend  the  school  regularly,  they  will  study  the  les- 
sons at  home,  they  will  be  attentive  to  the  teaching  and 
orderly  in  the  class,  they  will  be  led  with  inspiring  cer- 
tainty into  the  way  of  life.  We  believe  all  this  ;  that  is 
why  we  have  Bible  schools.  We  believe  it ;  but  ah,  how 
may  we  bring  it  about  ?  This  is  the  problem  that  in- 
volves all  other  problems, — to  make  the  children  Bible- 
lovers. 

And  first, — a  very  simple  principle  easily  overlooked, 
— you  cannot  inspire  love  for  the  Bible  unless  you  love  it 
yourself.  Many  a  teacher  may  find  in  these  words  a 
reason  for  partial  or  complete  failure.  If  your  love  for 
the  Bible  is  feigned  or  forced,  if  you  read  it  from  duty 
and  not  from  adoration,  if  you  rather  postpone  it  than 
anticipate  it,  how  can  you  expect  your  scholars  to  be 
otherwise  ?  They  will  inevitably  follow  your  character 
in  preference  to  your  words,  if  there  is  any  divergence 
between  the  two.  And  your  real  feeling  will  show  itself 
plainly,  protruding  through  the  most  correct  speech. 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  you  are  a  Bible-lover 
through  and  through,  then  it  makes  little  difference  what 
you  say,  your  scholars  will  be  quite  certain  to  catch  the 
blessed  contagion.     If  the  Bible  is  your  favorite,  instinc- 

261 


202  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

tive  reading  ;  if  you  are  saturated  with  it,  familiar  with 
all  its  parts,  quoting  it  unconsciously  and  often  ;  if  you 
love  even  the  material  volume,  love  to  have  it  near  you 
and  to  handle  it ;  if,  next  to  the  Book  itself,  books  about 
it  are  your  delight;  if  this  is  true  of  you,  the  children 
will  reflect  these  feelings  as  surely  as  they  answer  to 
your  smiles.  You  must  be  yourself  the  kind  of  Bible- 
lover  you  would  have  each  of  them  become. 

But  I  see  that  I  am  taking  for  granted  that  you  will 
frankly  show  your  love  for  the  Bible,  which  some 
through  false  modesty  foolishly  would  conceal.  If  you 
would  lead  the  children  to  love  the  Book,  you  must  carry 
it  openly  and  proudly, — and  well-bound  copies,  too  ;  you 
must  handle  it  reverently,  not  thumbing  it,  and  rumpling 
its  pages,  and  breaking  its  back  ;  you  must  quote  it  lov- 
ingly ;  you  must  speak  of  it  enthusiastically,  not  critic- 
ally ;  you  must  not  be  afraid  to  use  those  old-fashioned 
terms,  "  the  precious  Gospel,"  "the  dear  old  Book," 
"  Holy  Writ,"  "  inspired  Scriptures,"  "the glorious  Word 
of  God";  whatever  your  theory  of  inspiration  may  be, 
you  must  show  that  you  believe  in  the  Bible  with  all 
your  heart.  Only  as  your  own  love  for  the  Bible  is  thus 
frank  and  open  will  you  make  expressive  Bible-lovers  of 
your  scholars. 

Next,  if  the  young  folks  are  to  become  men  and 
women  of  the  Book,  they  must  possess  Bibles  whose  out- 
ward appearance  is  attractive.  How  can  we  expect  our 
children  to  love  the  small-type,  broken-backed,  dingy, 
dog's-eared  Bibles  that  many  of  them  carry  ?  You,  my 
dear  sir  or  madam,  still  love  your  wife  or  husband  in 
whatever  rags  arrayed  ;  but,  outside  of  fairy  stories,  one 


HOW  TO  INSPIRE  LOVE   FOR  THE   BIBLE  263 

does  not  fall  in  love  with  a  dirty-faced  tatterde- 
malion. 

Still  more  unlikely  is  it  that  the  bits  of  Bible  that  our 
scholars  find  on  crumpled  lesson  leaves  and  torn  quarter- 
lies will  lead  them  to  love  the  massive  Volume  itself,  or, 
indeed,  to  gain  any  conception  of  it  as  a  book.  One 
might  as  well  give  a  pupil  Bartlett's  Quotations  and  ex- 
pect him  therefrom  to  develop  a  fondness  for  Shakespeare. 

See  that  the  children  have  good  copies  of  the  Bible, 
all  their  own.  If  they  are  bound  in  cloth,  let  it  be  red 
cloth,  or  bright  blue;  if  in  leather,  let  the  edges  shine 
with  gold.  Stamp  their  name  upon  the  cover.  Let  the 
type  be  as  clear  and  large  as  may  be.  That  cruel  saying, 
•J  Young  eyes  don't  mind  small  type,"  has  started  many  a 
young  eye  toward  premature  age.  But  children  do  love 
small  books,  and  therefore,  while  each  child  should  have 
his  complete  Bible,  I  would  make  generous  use  also  of 
the  Bible  portions,  copies  of  the  separate  books  in  large 
type.  For  this  purpose  the  Modern  Reader's  Bible  and 
the  Temple  Bible  are  admirable. 

It  is  good  to  give  a  child  a  picture  Bible,  if  the  pictures 
really  aid  his  imagination  and  do  not  impede  it!  Far 
more  necessary  is  it,  however,  to  see  that  his  Bible  is  in 
the  Revised  Version.  In  a  myriad  places  that  version 
has  removed  the  stumblingblocks  out  of  the  way  of  the 
child's  understanding.  And  of  the  various  editions  of 
the  Revised  Version  those  are  best  for  children  that  re- 
tain the  verse  divisions  of  the  King  James  version,  be- 
cause they  enable  the  children  more  easily  to  "  find  the 
place,"  and  especially  because  they  render  the  pages 
more  open  and  interesting  to  the  eye. 


264:  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

But  all  these  matters  are  preliminaries.  Given  your 
own  love  for  the  Bible,  and  their  possession  of  copies  of 
the  Bible  that  they  can  fall  in  love  with,  the  first  step  is 
merely  to  introduce  them  to  the  Book,  get  them  ac- 
quainted with  it.  Children  do  not  fall  in  love  with  a 
stranger. 

It  is  astonishing  how  children  enjoy  learning  the  mere 
names  of  the  books  of  the  Bible.  Those  mouth-filling 
musical  words,  Zephaniah,  Jeremiah,  Thessalonians,  and 
the  rest,  fascinate  them  before  they  have  the  least  idea 
of  their  meaning.  My  little  girl  is,  at  this  particular 
moment,  perfectly  delighted  with  the  Minor  Prophets, 
merely  as  a  series  of  beautiful  names.  She  likes  to 
"bound"  the  various  books, — tell  what  book  comes  be- 
fore and  what  after.  She  is  keenly  interested  in  Bible 
hand-drills,  finding  chapter  and  verse  at  call  ;  finding  the 
shortest  verse,  the  longest  chapter  ;  finding  the  Beatitudes, 
the  Ten  Commandments,  the  Shepherd  Psalm  ;  hunting 
up  the  Christinas  story,  the  story  of  Joseph,  the  story  of 
David  and  Goliath.  Unconsciously,  she  is  getting  book- 
out  lines  and  history  outlines.  She  is  learning  that 
Christ's  words  and  deeds  are  to  be  found  in  a  certain 
part  of  the  Book,  and  Solomon's  in  another,  and  Abra- 
ham's in  another.  She  is  slowly  grouping  histories  and 
prophecies  and  poems  and  letters.  She  is  committing 
bits  to  memory  here  and  there.  She  thinks  it  is  play, 
and  so  it  is ;  but  it  is  also  something  more :  she  is  getting 
her  introduction  to  the  Word  of  God. 

After  the  children,  by  long,  patient,  and  persistent 
drill,  have  gained  this  introduction  to  the  Bible,  what 
next  ?    Then,  just  as  in  the  second  step  of  a  personal  ac- 


HOW  TO   INSPIRE  LOVE    FOR  THE  BIBLE  265 

quaintance,  throw  them  as  much  as  possible  together 
alone.  Let  them  browse  in  the  Bible.  What  if  they  do 
hit  on  the  hard  parts  ?  They  will  understand  more  than 
we  think  they  do,  and  feel  what  they  cannot  understand. 
As  likely  as  not,  Daniel  or  even  Jeremiah  will  become 
their  favorite  book  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  Revela- 
tion or  even  Romans,  of  the  New. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  form  your  class  into  a  Bible- 
Lovers'  Club,  just  for  the  purpose  of  reading  the  Bible 
straight  through.  Some  reward,  such  as  a  Red  Letter 
Testament,  may  be  given  to  every  child  that  completes 
the  reading.  Let  them  write  the  date  at  the  close  of 
each  book  as  they  finish  reading  it.  Let  them  print  an 
X  in  the  corner  of  each  page  if  they  think  they  under- 
stand it,  and  go  over  their  Bibles  with  them  now  and  then 
to  increase  the  number  of  pages  thus  marked.  If  you 
question  the  value  of  such  a  course  in  Bible-reading  for 
children,  read  what  Ruskin  says  about  it  in  the  second 
chapter  of  his  "  Praeterita,"  how  his  mother  read  the 
Bible  with  him,  verse  about.  "  She  began  with  the  first 
verse  of  Genesis,  and  went  straight  through,  to  the  last 
verse  of  the  Apocalypse  ;  hard  names,  numbers,  Levitical 
law,  and  all ;  and  began  again  at  Genesis  the  next  day. 
If  a  name  was  hard,  the  better  the  exercise  in  pronunci- 
ation,— if  a  chapter  was  tiresome,  the  better  lesson  in 
patience, — if  loathsome,  the  better  lesson  in  faith  that 
there  was  some  use  in  its  being  so  outspoken."  And 
Ruskin  counted  his  mother's  Bible  drill  "  the  one  essen- 
tial part"  of  all  his  education. 

I  think  it  quite  important  that  as  early  as  possible  the 
child  should  be  led  into  the  romance  of  the  Bible.    I  do 


26f)  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

not  mean  the  wonderful  stories  it  contains — those,  of 
course  ;  but  in  addition  to  them  the  wonderful  story  of 
the  Book  itself.  The  child  should  be  brought  to  see  it 
as  a  whole,  and  to  realize  God's  interest  in  it  as  a  whole, 
and  not  merely  his  care  for  Isaac  and  Samuel  and 
Timothy. 

To  this  end  much  should  be  told  the  children  of  the 
way  the  Bible  came  to  us,  the  story  of  the  manuscripts 
and  their  discovery,  so  full  of  absorbing  interest ;  the 
story  of  the  versions  and  of  the  successive  English  Bibles  ; 
the  great  stories  of  Luther  and  Wyclif  and  Tyndale,  the 
King  James  version,  the  Victorian  revision.  When  the 
children  come  to  see  how  much  God  cares  for  the  Book, 
what  a  wonderful  network  of  providence  he  has  thrown 
around  it,  they  will  come  to  care  for  it  themselves. 

Then,  while  the  scholars  are  thus  browsing  in  the  Book, 
encourage  them  to  tell  what  they  find.  Set  apart  a  few 
minutes  in  the  class  for  regular  reports  of  the  discoveries 
made  during  the  week.  Any  passage  that  strikes  a  child 
as  beautiful  or  helpful  he  should  mark.  As  he  tells 
about  it  in  the  class,  the  others  may  wish  to  mark  the 
same  passage  in  their  Bibles.  For  the  purpose  of  inspir- 
ing their  enthusiasm  for  the  Bible,  one  discovery  of 
theirs  is  worth  a  hundred  of  yours,  and  one  report  from 
them  is  worth  a  dozen  hours'  talk  from  you.  What  you 
want  is  to  be  pedagogic, — child-leaders, — and  not  didac- 
tic,— child-lecturers. 

All  this,  without  forcing  the  children,  or  passing  for 
an  instant  out  of  the  region  of  their  natural  enjoyment. 
But  what  if  they  are  not  naturally  inclined  toward  the 
Bible  ?     They  are  naturally  inclined  toward  such  employ- 


HOW   TO   INSPIRE   LOVE   FOR  THE   BIBLE  267 

ments  as  I  have  outlined.  All  children  like  to  explore, 
all  children  like  to  show  what  they  have  found,  all  chil- 
dren like  stories  and  are  captured  by  romance.  They 
may  not  be  naturally  inclined  toward  the  higher  results 
of  love  for  the  Bible,  but  if  they  once  feel  that  love, 
though  on  the  lower  plane,  it  will  grow — never  fear — to 
the  highest  outreachings. 

Do  not  expect  it  all  at  once.  Growth  is  slow  into  any 
good  thing.  How  gradually,  as  the  fruit  of  what  long 
patience,  does  a  baby  grow  into  an  understanding  love  of 
the  mother!  And  we  are  all  at  first  but  babes  in  the 
Book.  These  childish  markings  of  tiny  texts,  and  fum- 
blings  after  the  story  of  Gideon,  and  learning  of  the  order 
of  books,  and  plodding  through  chapters,  are  little  things 
to  us  but  great  to  them, — the  narrow  path  to  the  moun- 
tain peaks  of  mighty  doctrines, — inspiration,  sanctifica- 
tion,  justification  by  faith.  They  are  babes  now,  but  our 
reward  is  sure,  for  they  are  to  become  men  and  women 
of  the  Book ! 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

PENCIL   AND    PAPER 

Few  Sunday-school  teachers  realize  how  great  aids  are 
a  pencil  and  a  piece  of  paper  in  the  teacher's  hands,  and 
in  the  hands  of  each  member  of  the  class.  Probably,  for 
most  purposes,  a  blackboard  is  better  for  the  teacher's 
use.  Not  many  classes,  however,  can  have  that  luxury, 
while  not  even  its  presence  renders  unnecessary  the 
scholars'  own  use  of  writing  materials.  Whatever  holds 
the  hand  holds  the  head.  There  is  no  attention-winner 
like  a  pencil  tablet.  Work  with  it  overcomes  the  fidgets 
of  the  most  restless  scholar,  while  at  the  same  time  it 
may  be  made  delightfully  to  clarify  the  lesson  facts  and 
teachings,  and  fasten  them  in  the  memory. 

The  teacher's  first  aim  is  to  get  attention.  There  is  no 
better  way  than  by  placing  a  piece  of  paper  where  all  can 
see  it,  and  putting  on  it  a  striking  fact  or  question,  or  a 
simple  sketch  or  diagram.  If  the  teacher  has  planned 
this  opening  well,  he  will  gain  his  scholars'  eyes  and 
brains  without  speaking  a  word. 

The  wise  teacher,  too,  has  in  his  mind  a  lesson  analysis, 
— some  simple  outline  which  presents  the  facts  and  truths 
of  the  lesson  as  concisely  as  a  picture.     For  example : — 

by  the  wayside  =  careless 

among  thorns  =  sinful 

in  stony  ground  =  shallow 

in  good  soil  =  thoughtful 
2G8 


Seed 
Sown 


Hearts. 


PENCIL  AND  PAPER  269 

Such  a  synopsis,  if  written  upon  the  teacher's  pencil 
tablet  as  the  lesson  progressed,  and  copied,  step  by  step, 
by  every  scholar,  would  fix  forever  the  central  truths  of 
the  Parable  of  the  Sower. 

Paraphrases. — If  the  scholars  have  not  studied  the  les- 
son, an  admirable  introduction  to  it  may  be  given  in  the 
following  way.  Explain  what  a  paraphrase  is,  and  get 
each  scholar  to  read  over  the  lesson  text  and  then  write 
it  out  in  his  own  words.  As  the  class  become  more  ex- 
pert in  this  exercise,  the  teacher  may  read  the  lesson  to 
them,  and  their  paraphrases  may  be  entirely  from 
memory.  Let  each  read  his  paraphrase  aloud,  the  others 
telling  what  has  been  omitted  in  each  case.  By  the  time 
this  exercise  is  completed,  the  lesson  facts  will  be  very 
familiar  to  all ;  and  attention,  moreover,  will  have  been 
held  throughout. 

That  may  be  done,  if  the  lesson  has  not  been  studied 
at  home;  but  the  pencil  and  paper  may  be  made  to 
emphasize  and  direct  home  study.  For  this  purpose,  at 
the  close  of  each  lesson  the  teacher  will  dictate  to  the 
class  a  statement  of  the  subject  of  the  next  lesson,  and 
how  much  of  the  Bible  should  be  read  in  connection  with 
it.  He  will  follow  this  with  a  few  comprehensive  ques- 
tions or  themes  for  study,  or  he  may  dictate  to  each  one 
a  separate  subject  for  research.  For  example,  if  the  sub- 
ject is  the  resurrection,  references  will  be  given  to  all  the 
Gospel  accounts  of  the  resurrection,  and  to  a  few  of  the 
leading  references  to  that  great  event  made  in  the  Epis- 
tles and  the  Revelation.  Then,  to  the  whole  class  or  to 
individuals,  he  will  dictate  such  themes  as  the  following: 
"  Make  a  tabular  statement  of  the  events  connected  with 


270  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

the  resurrection. "  "Why  do  you  believe  these  accounts 
of  the  resurrection  ? "  "  What  was  the  effect  of  the 
resurrection  upon  the  disciples  ?  "  "  What  results  should 
follow  in  our  living  if  we  believe  the  resurrection?" 

Once  in  a  while — I  would  not  recommend  the  method 
except  for  occasional  use — each  scholar  may  be  asked  to 
Write  a  two-minute  essay  on  his  theme,  to  read  before 
the  class.  If  you  have  a  bright  class,  it  will  even  be  pos- 
sible, after  a  short  discussion  of  the  lesson,  to  give  them 
pencil  and  paper,  and  ask  each  to  write  an  essay  on  the 
spot,  the  same  general  topic  being  assigned  to  all,  or  each 
receiving  a  slip  of  paper  appointing  him  to  a  theme  of 
his  own. 

It  is  evident  that  such  drills  as  these,  and  the  mere  use 
each  Sunday  of  pencil  and  paper  for  any  purpose,  will 
make  a  written  examination  seem  the  natural  thing. 
The  scholars  will  not  receive  the  suggestion  with  in- 
credulous, blank  dismay.  And  if  a  teacher  really  wants 
to  discover  whether  his  scholars  have  made  any  per- 
manent gain,  no  method  of  discovery  is  to  be  compared 
with  the  written  examination. 

A  Summary. — If  pencil  and  paper  are  useful  at  the 
opening  of  the  lesson  and  during  its  progress,  they  are  no 
less  useful  at  the  close.  You  want  to  bind  together  what 
has  been  taught.  You  want  to  be  sure  of  some  per- 
manent and  adequate  impression  as  the  result  of  the  les- 
son half-hour.  No  lesson  is  well  taught  till  it  is  well 
summed  up,  and  no  summary  is  quite  so  good  as  that  put 
upon  paper  by  the  scholars,  either  at  your  dictation  or 
each  for  himself. 

As  you  make  use  of  pencil  and  paper,  uses  for  them 


PENCIL  AND   PAPER  271 

will  multiply.  Now  you  will  draw  a  sketch  map,  which 
your  class  will  copy  as  you  draw.  Next  Sunday,  they 
will  draw  the  same  map  from  memory.  Now  you  will 
all  make  diagrams,  of  the  Herod  family,  perhaps.  Now 
you  will  illustrate  the  lesson  truths  with  a  simple  picture, 
every  eye  in  the  class  being  intent  on  your  pencil  tablet. 
On  their  pencil  tablets  the  scholars  will  write  down  the 
bright  quotations  you  want  them  to  remember.  For  a 
season,  they  will  record  there  one  Bible  fact  each  Sun- 
day. Indeed,  there  is  no  end  to  the  usefulness  of  pencil 
and  paper, — if  you  only  have  them  to  use. 

Keep  on  hand,  therefore,  in  the  place  where  your  class 
meets,  as  many  blocks  of  paper  as  you  have  scholars,  and 
a  few  more.  Let  the  paper  be  rough,  that  the  pencil 
marks  may  be  black.  The  pencil  tablets  should  have  a 
stout  backing,  that  the  scholars  may  write  on  their  knees. 
Have  always  ready  a  supply  of  soft  pencils,  nicely  sharp 
ened.  Some  teachers  will  be  able  to  make  profitable  use 
of  colored  pencils  also. 

Indeed,  though  what  is  written  in  the  class  will  be  of 
value  even  if  thrown  away  immediately,  serving  effi- 
ciently to  fix  in  mind  the  lesson  facts  and  teachings,  yet 
it  is  a  decided  advantage  if  the  sheet  used  each  Sabbath 
can  be  made  so  attractive  that  it  will  be  preserved  as  a 
souvenir,  and  referred  to  constantly.  Their  usefulness  in 
reviews  is  especially  obvious.  The  sheets  should  be  of 
uniform  size  from  week  to  week,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
year  they  might  be  bound  neatly  in  strong  covers. 

In  short,  like  all  teaching  methods  that  are  based  on 
the  fundamental  likings  and  needs  of  the  young,  this 
method  is  susceptible  of  endless  applications,  and  wise 


272  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

use  of  it  in  one  way  is  certain  to  suggest  further  use. 
There  are  the  richly-freighted  leaves  of  the  Bible;  there 
are  the  waiting  tablets  of  your  scholars'  brains  ;  there  are 
the  beautiful  tablets  of  white  paper.  So  utilize  these 
paper  tablets  that  upon  those  mysterious  brain  tablets 
may  be  inscribed  God's  words  of  salvation,  and  they  may 
become  living  Tables  of  the  Law. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

WORKING   WITH   THE   YOUNG   PEOPLE'S   SOCIETY 

The  young  people's  society  and  the  Sunday  school  are 
sister-organizations,  closely  akin  in  their  histories  and 
largely  sympathetic  in  their  methods.  How  shall  they 
be  brought  into  harmonious  and  mutually  helpful  rela- 
tions ? 

Separate  Fields. — In  the  first  place,  negatively,  the 
young  people's  society  should  not  undertake  to  do  the 
distinctive  work  of  the  Sunday  school,  which  is  instruc- 
tion in  the  Bible,  nor  should  the  Sunday  school  attempt 
to  carry  on  the  distinctive  work  of  the  young  people's 
society,  which  is  training  for  the  mature  work  of  the 
church. 

Many  are  constantly  urging  the  young  people's  so- 
cieties to  supply  this  or  that  deficiency,  real  or  imagined, 
in  the  Sunday  school,  but  the  temptation  to  enter  this 
field  has  been,  in  the  main,  resisted.  The  only  approach 
to  aggression  on  Sunday-school  domains  has  been  the 
somewhat  wide  use  by  the  older  societies  of  Taylor's 
text-book  on  the  life  of  Christ,  a  work  originating  in  the 
Epworth  Leagues  but  largely  used  by  Endeavorers  also, 
and  the  use  by  Junior  societies  of  a  life  of  Christ  for 
young  people,  published  by  the  Christian  Endeavor  So- 
ciety and  written  by  Dr.  Stewart.  In  addition,  the 
present  series  of  Junior  Christian  Endeavor  topics  will 
spend  four  years  in  a  regular  progress  through  the  Bible. 

273 


274  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

The  decided  tendency  is  to  make  the  prayer-meeting 
topics,  both  of  Junior  and  older  societies,  more  systematic 
in  their  selection  of  Scripture  passages  and  more  orderly 
in  their  survey  of  Scripture  doctrines;  but  always  this 
distinction  holds,  that  the  Sunday-school  work  with  the 
I>ible  is  educational,  the  Bible  work  of  the  young  people's 
society  is  devotional  and  practical  ;  in  the  Sunday  school 
the  scholars  take  in,  in  the  society  the  members  give  out; 
the  Sundav  school  is  chieflv  for  understanding  and  be- 
lieving,  the  society  is  for  applying.  If  this  reasonable 
and  profitable  distinction  is  held,  the  two  agencies  will 
be  kept  from  clashing  even  where  they  approximate  most 
closely,  and  the  society  will  supplement  the  school  at  a 
point  where  the  very  exigencies  of  time,  if  nothing  else, 
will  always  render  it  deficient. 

A  Practice  Ground. — In  the  second  place,  positively, 
t-he  young  people's  society  will  find  in  the  Sunday  school 
the  nearest,  the  most  natural,  and  therefore  the  most 
fruitful  field  for  the  practice  of  those  activities  to  which 
its  members  are  serving  apprenticeship.  Most  of  our 
societies  recognize  this  relationship  by  the  regular  ap- 
pointment of  Sunday-school  committees.  These  com- 
mittees, usually  consisting  of  the  older  members,  are 
called  on  by  the  superintendent  for  a  variety  of  services. 
They  often  act  as  substitute  teachers,  and,  indeed,  this 
is  their  most  frequently  performed  duty.  They  some- 
times constitute  a  normal  class  in  the  school,  studying 
each  Sunday  the  next  Sunday's  lesson,  with  a  special 
view  to  teaching  it  if  called  upon. 

In  addition,  these  committees  often  canvass  the  town 
or  neighborhood  for  new  Sunday-school  scholars.     They 


WORKING   WITH   THE  YOUNG   PEOPLE'S   SOCIETY   275 

often  act  as  the  teacher's  aids  in  looking  up  absentees. 
They  organize  Sunday-school  choirs,  and  help  the  super- 
intendent prepare  Sunday-school  concerts.  In  short,  in 
a  multitude  of  schools,  the  superintendent  draws  upon 
the  young  people,  through  this  committee  as  intermedi- 
ary, for  a  variety  of  helpful  services,  which  train  the 
young  people  and  provide  Sunday-school  workers  for  the 
future,  at  the  same  time  that  they  contribute  to  the 
school's  immediate  prosperity. 

Cognate  Subjects. — The  young  people's  prayer  meet- 
ings often  add  to  the  Sunday-school  interest  in  a  way  not 
always  recognized,  because  few  outside  the  societies  per- 
ceive the  frequent  dependence  of  the  young  people's 
prayer-meeting  topic  upon  the  Sunday-school  topic  that 
lias  preceded  it.  Certainly  half  the  time  the  latter  is 
derived  from  the  former,  taking  up  some  important  prac- 
tical theme  which  the  teachers  in  the  school  have  had  all 
too  little  time  to  develop,  illustrating  it'with  other  Scrip- 
tures, and  setting  the  young  people  to  discussing  it  in  the 
light  of  the  historical  studies  in  the  Sunday  school.  I 
have  found  that,  though  this  connection  of  topics  is  never 
advertised,  the  young  people  themselves  always  recognize 
it  and  utilize  it  admirably. 

Mutual  Helpfulness.— In  the  third  place,  if  the  young 
people's  society  should  thus  aid  the  Sunday  school,  cer- 
tainly the  latter  has  some  duties  toward  the  former.  It 
is  plainly  to  the  interest  of  the  school  that  all  its  scholars 
should  be  members  of  the  society,  and  both  teachers  and 
officers  should  work  to  this  end.  Especially,  however, 
the  Sunday  school  can  aid  the  society  by  using  it.  Noth- 
ing is  more  certainly  fatal  to  the  progress  of  a  learner 


276  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

than  not  to  be  allowed  or  compelled  to  practise  what  he 
is  learning ;  and  the  school  is  one  of  the  practising 
grounds  of  the  society. 

If  teachers  and  superintendents  would  everywhere 
utilize  to  the  full  the  members  of  their  young  people's 
societies,  enduring  at  the  start  their  necessary  crudities 
for  the  sake  of  the  final  gain,  they  would  do  the  socie- 
ties the  best  of  services,  and  would  themselves  in  the  end 
reap  great  profit  for  their  schools. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

WHY   DO   WE  TEACH    IN   THE   SUNDAY    SCHOOL? 

Most  work  is  made  or  unmade  by  its  motive.  If  the 
motive  is  unworthy,  the  work  is  sure  to  be  below  its  pos- 
sibilities. If  the  motive  is  lofty,  it  will  often  change  a 
dwarf  to  a  giant. 

This  is  true  even  of  manual  labor,  true  even  of  drudg- 
ery. A  swineherd  may  so  tend  his  pigs  that  the  sty  be- 
comes a  cathedral.  A  king  may  so  rule  a  nation  that  his 
palace  becomes  a  sty. 

But  if  it  is  true  of  the  lowliest  toil  that  it  may  be 
transformed  or  degraded  by  its  motive,  still  more  is  it 
true  of  work  in  the  spiritual  realm.  It  is  not  always 
easy  to  tell  whether  a  mason  is  cutting  stone  with  his 
soul  or  only  with  a  chisel ;  it  is  always  possible  to  tell  at 
a  glance  whether  a  teacher  is  putting  his  soul  into  his 
task. 

A  clear  purpose  gives  force  to  a  man's  work.  It  is  like 
a  rifle  bore  to  a  bullet.  Knowing  why  one  does  a  thing 
helps  to  do  it.  A  walker  will  always  go  farther  if  he 
has  some  goal  than  if  he  is  aimlessly  strolling.  Sunday- 
school  teachers,  in  the  main,  persist  magnificently  in 
their  self-appointed  task.  Certainly  the  average  length 
of  service  of  Sunday-school  teachers  equals  that  of  sec- 
ular teachers,  though  the  Sunday-school  workers  are  un- 
paid. This  persistence  is  due  to  the  inspiring  purpose 
that  animates  most  teachers  in  the  Sunday  school. 

277 


278  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

Nevertheless,  there  are  many  Sunday-school  teachers 
that  lack  this  worthy  and  impelling  motive,  and  their 
service  is  correspondingly  weak  and  wavering.  They 
have  in  view  no  exhilarating  goal.  A  comparatively 
slight  barrier  will  stop  them  altogether. 

What,  then,  is  an  adequate  purpose?  Why  do  we 
teach  in  the  Sunday  school  ? 

And  first  let  us  clear  the  way  with  a  few  negatives. 

It  is  not  our  main  purpose  to  teach  Hebrew  history. 
A  knowledge  of  Hebrew  history  is  valuable,  but  without 
a  purpose  beyond  and  above  it,  we  should  do  better  to 
teach  the  history  of  our  own  country. 

That  purpose,  which  is  to  vitalize  every  step  of  our 
historical  studies  in  the  Sunday  school,  is  to  exhibit 
Christ  as  the  climax  of  Hebrew  history,  the  summit  to 
which  all  before  him  rises  and  from  which  all  later  events 
receive  their  significance.  If,  for  example,  we  cannot 
relate  the  exodus  to  Christ,  we  might  as  well  study  in 
our  Sunday  schools  the  ways  of  God  in  the  abolition  of 
modern  slavery.  If  our  scholars  do  not  get  closer  to 
Christ  at  every  point  in  their  Hebrew  history,  we  might 
as  well  use  our  Sundays  for  any  other  history. 

Neither  is  it  our  main  purpose  to  teach  Hebrew  litera- 
ture. It  is  a  noble  literature,  the  Bible  is  a  glorious  book  ; 
but  there  are  other  noble  literatures  and  glorious  books. 
Unless  the  literature  and  book  are  unique,  unless  they 
come  from  God  as  no  other  writings  do,  and  lead  to 
Christ  as  no  other  writings  do,  there  is  no  more  reason 
why  on  Sunday  we  should  hold  Bible  schools  than 
Shakespeare  schools.  The  Bible  has  no  special  perti- 
nence  for  Sunday   schools  unless   we  teach  it,  not    as 


WHY    DO   WE  TEACH   IN   THE   SUNDAY    SCHOOL?   279 

fine  writing,  but  to  make  fine  characters,  Christly 
lives. 

Neither  is  it  the  chief  object  of  our  Sunday  schools  to 
give  instruction  in  ethics,  in  morality.  Most  of  our 
scholars,  probably  all  of  them,  know  what  they  ought  to 
do,  but  they  do  not  do  it.  Unaided  by  Christ,  they  will 
not  do  it,  they  cannot  do  it.  Except  as  we  bring  Christ 
into  our  lessons,  and  attach  to  him  all  our  instruction  in 
duty,  we  are  building  a  factory  and  leaving  out  the 
engine  room.  There  are  Sunday  schools  that  have 
courses  in  Emerson,  and  his  rules  for  the  conduct  of  life; 
but  they  are  consistent,  for  they  belong  to  churches  that 
consider  Christ  a  mere  man. 

Nor  is  it  the  chief  object  of  our  Sunday  schools  to 
teach  the  Christian  philosophy,  on  such  themes  as  sin,  im- 
mortality, heaven,  the  nature  of  God.  Without  Christ, 
we  have  no  interpretation  of  these  teachings,  no  proper 
understanding  of  them.  Without  Christ,  we  have  no 
authority  for  them. 

No ;  if  our  Sunday  schools  have  not  as  their  one  over- 
mastering object  the  eager  purpose  to  make  Christians, 
we  might  as  well  be  up  to  date ;  we  might  as  well  have 
Tolstoi  schools,  and  Carlyle  schools,  rather  than  Bible 
schools.  Studying  the  Bible  for  its  literature  is  carving 
a  statue;  for  its  history,  unwrapping  a  mummy  ;  for  its 
philosophy,  painting  a  picture ;  for  its  morality,  dressing 
a  dummy  ;  for  its  Christ,  making  a  man.  When  we 
study  the  Bible  for  its  history,  it  becomes  a  text-book ; 
for  its  ethics,  a  law-book ;  for  its  literature,  a  picture- 
book  ;  but  when  we  study  it  to  make  Christians,  it  be- 
comes a  Book  of  Life. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

This  principle  is  the  chief  test  to  use  in  selecting  lesson 
helps.  Do  they  exalt  Christ  ?  With  all  their  discussions 
of  history,  literature,  customs,  languages,  is  this  one  pur- 
pose always  uppermost,  to  make  Christians  ?  If  it  is  not, 
I  care  not  how  learned  and  brilliant  are  the  editors  and 
how  attractive  the  contents. 

This  principle  governs  also  the  teacher's  preparation 
for  his  teaching.  If  his  motive  is  merely  to  give  infor- 
mation, he  will  plan  how  to  pour  facts  into  his  scholars' 
minds  but  not  how  to  pour  life  into  their  souls.  He  will 
study  over  his  lesson,  but  not  pray  over  it.  He  will  ex- 
amine his  class,  but  not  inspire  them.  His  will  be  a 
ministry  of  lore,  not  of  love  ;  to  heads,  rather  than  hearts. 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  the  one  passionate  de- 
sire of  his  teaching  to  make  Christians,  he  will  hold  this 
purpose  in  view  throughout  his  preparation  for  the  class. 
He  will  ask  himself  every  week,  "How  can  this  lesson 
be  made  to  show  forth  Christ  ?  to  bring  him  nearer  to 
my  scholars  ?  "  He  will  look  over  the  lessons  far  ahead, 
and  plan  his  campaign  for  souls.  He  will  make  one 
evangelistic  point  each  Sunday.  One  lesson  will  intro- 
duce a  bit  of  Christian  evidence  from  miracles  ;  another 
lesson,  from  prophecy  ;  with  another  lesson,  he  will  make 
a  direct  appeal  for  the  Christian  decision.  There  will  be 
no  lesson  without  the  Lord. 

The  same  principle  controls  the  mode  of  teaching  after 
the  preparation  has  been  made.  In  this  matter  the 
teaching  of  the  Bible  is  different  from  the  teaching  in 
secular  schools,  and  neglect  of  this  difference  is  respon- 
sible for  many  misleading  comparisons  between  the  two. 
For  no  one  teaches  zoology  in  order  to  make  his  scholar 


WHY   DO   WE  TEACH   IN   THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL  ?  281 

a  bird  or  a  lion,  or  botany  to  make  him  a  tree,  or  geome- 
try to  make  him  a  triangle,  or  geology  to  make  him  a 
rock.  But  one  does  teach  the  Bible  to  make  the  scholar 
a  rock,  a  Peter !  At  the  most,  one  teaches  geology  to 
make  the  scholar  a  geologist,  an  assayer,  a  mine  superin- 
tendent ;  but  that  is  only  to  give  him  a  working  knowl- 
edge of  geology.  Now  a  knowledge  of  Christianity  is 
not  enough  ;  our  scholar  must  be  a  Christian. 

So  that  it  is  not  enough  for  the  teacher  to  find  Christ 
in  a  lesson  ;  he  must  set  his  scholars  to  seeking  him  and 
finding.  He  must  interest  them  in  relating  all  the  les- 
sons to  him.  For  example,  he  may  have  them  mark  their 
Bible  margins  red  wherever  he  comes  in,  as  at  the  pass- 
over,  the  brazen  serpent,  the  ark  of  the  covenant. 

And  so  the  wise  teacher  will  test  his  teaching — partly,  to 
be  sure,  by  what  his  scholars  know  about  the  Bible,  because 
that  knowledge  is  part  of  the  raw  material  of  character ; 
but  chiefly  by  the  Bible  they  have  already  built  into 
character.  Constantly  he  will  ask  himself  regarding 
them,  "  Are  they  growing  more  unselfish  ?  more  prayer- 
ful ?  more  obedient?  more  trustful  and  happy  ?"  And 
if  he  can  answer  those  questions  in  the  affirmative,  he 
will  care  comparatively  little  whether  they  can  tell 
when  Ahab  reigned  or  who  Philemon  was.  His  test  of 
his  teaching  is  Christlikeness. 

But  this  motive  includes  all  others,  and  emphasizes 
them.  In  proportion  as  we  get  our  scholars  to  love 
Christ  and  his  service,  they  will  want  to  know  more 
about  his  words,  his  book,  his  land,  his  people.  The 
most  ardent  and  successful  students  of  the  Bible  have 
been  impelled  by  love  to  Christ.     Indeed,  except  to  those 


282  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

that  love  Christ,  the  Bible  is  not  an  especially  interest- 
ing book. 

This  motive,  the  purpose  of  character-building,  dignifies 
the  work  of  the  Sunday-school  teacher,  and  gives  it  per- 
manent value.  A\re  are  not  sure  that  Paul's  letter  to 
Rome  or  the  epistle  to  Ephesus  will  be  published  in 
heaven,  or  that  the  Hebrew  Psalter  will  be  printed  there  ; 
but  we  are  sure  that  Paul  will  be  there,  and  David, 
speaking  more  marvelous  thoughts,  singing  more  won- 
derful songs.  The  question  is  not  so  much  as  to  our 
scholars'  remembering  the  dates  of  Paul's  life,  though 
that  is  well,  or  the  details  of  David's  campaigns,  though 
that  is  well,  as  it  is  whether  our  scholars  will  carry  to 
heaven  the  soul  that  can  join  with  Paul  and  David  in 
the  celestial  converse  and  the  great  new  song.  It  is  for 
this  eternal  result  that  we  are  aiming. 

And,  finally,  this  desire  to  make  Christians  gives  zest 
to  Sunday-school  teaching.  That  is  why  men  and 
women  toil  in  the  Sunday  school  without  pay.  You  can- 
not get  unpaid  teachers  of  geology,  of  secular  history,  of 
English  literature.  As  soon  as  you  leave  out  the  evan- 
gelistic element,  and  put  Sunday-school  teaching  on  the 
plane  of  the  secular  schools,  you  must  bring  in  hired 
teachers  and  hired  superintendents.  The  glory  of  our 
Sunday-school  work  is  that  it  is  free  service  ;  and  that  is 
also  its  prosperity. 

I  was  talking  last  week  with  an  estimable  lady  who 
described  to  me  a  Sunday-school  class  of  seven  boys, 
wild,  restless  youngsters,  whom  she  had  taken  up,  years 
ago,  when  no  one  else  wanted  them.  She  told  with  keen 
delight  how  she  had  won  them,  and  how,  now  that  they 


WHY   DO   WE  TEACH   IN  THE  SUNDAY   SCHOOL  ?   2S3 

were  married  men  in  business,  they  still  came  back  to 
see  her  almost  as  if  she  were  their  mother.  And  how 
her  face  shone  as  she  came  to  the  climax  of  the  story : 
u  Six  out  of  the  seven  have  joined  the  church,  and  I  think 
the  seventh  will,  some  day  !" 

Ah,  that  is  the  goal  which  every  Sunday-school  teacher 
worth  the  name  keeps  full  in  view  !  This  is  the  record 
he  keeps,  amid  all  his  records  of  attendance,  and  strives 
to  complete.  This  is  the  object  of  his  eager  prayers,  his 
self-sacrificing  toil.  With  an  ardor  more  strenuous  than 
a  hunter's  for  the  chase,  with  ambition  more  engrossing 
than  any  Caesar's,  with  longing  keener  than  a  miser's,  he 
pursues  this  spiritual  quest.  And  if  he  can  be  sure  that  of 
all  his  class  a  single  soul — still  more  if  the  entire  class — 
has  made  definite  choice  of  Jesus  Christ,  so  as  to  serve 
him  and  enjoy  his  blessedness  through  the  endless  ages, 
then  our  Sunday-school  teacher  has  received  his  exceed- 
ing great  reward. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

HOW    TO   TELL   A    BIBLE   STORY 

"Of  all  the  things  that  a  teacher  should  know  how  to 
do,  the  most  important,  without  any  exception,  is  to  be 
able  to  tell  a  story." 

Those  are  the  words  of  President  G.  Stanley  Hall,  the 
eminent  educator.  They  urge  a  qualification  that  many 
teachers  are  slow  to  seek,  and  exalt  an  ideal  that  many 
teachers  belittle.  Hut  they  hold  up  as  our  pedagogical 
model  the  great  Teacher,  who  taught  many  things,  and 
at  one  time  all  things,  in  parables.  If  we  desire  his  suc- 
cess we  must  study  his  method,  and  imitate  it  as  well  as 
we  can. 

Of  course  it  is  not  merely  Bible  stories  that  a  skilful 
teacher  is  prepared  to  relate  with  effectiveness,  but  stories 
from  a  wide  range  of  sources  will  be  introduced,  to  illus- 
trate the  teaching  from  modern  life.  Bible  stories,  how- 
ever, are  the  wise  teacher's  staple,  and  if  he  can  tell 
them  well  he  can  tell  any  story  well ;  therefore  I  have 
narrowed  my  subject  to  them. 

The  outline  of  the  art  of  telling  Bible  stories  is  very 
simple;  the  practice  is  not  so  easy!  But  the  outline 
is  merely  six  points :  (1)  You  must  know  the  story. 
(2)  You  must  know  more  than  the  story.  (3)  You  must 
imagine  more  than  you  can  know.  (4)  You  must  know 
the  children  and  love  them.     (5)  You  must  know  the 

284 


HOW  TO  TELL   A   BIBLE  STORY  285 

Saviour  and  love  him.  (6)  You  must  practise.  Let  us 
consider  those  points  in  order. 

And  first,  you  must  know  all  of  the  story  that  the 
Bible  tells.  Its  outline  must  be  firm  in  your  mind,  and 
every  recorded  detail  must  be  fixed  in  its  proper  place  in 
the  outline. 

Try  to  rehearse  to  yourself  any  "  familiar  "  Bible  story, 
and  see  how  vague  is  your  conception  of  it,  how  con- 
fused your  memory.  Take  for  example  the  striking  con- 
test on  Mount  Carmel  between  Elijah  and  the  prophets 
of  Baal.  Where  did  Elijah  come  from  ?  Are  you  quite 
sure?  Where  did  he  meet  Obadiah ?  Who  spoke  first, 
and  just  what  was  that  conversation  ?  What  did  Ahab 
say  when  Obadiah  brought  him  the  news?  Or  did  he 
say  anything  that  is  recorded  ?  How  many  priests  came 
to  Mount  Carmel?  How  soon  did  they  come?  Does 
the  Bible  say  ?  Who  spoke  first,  up  there  ?  What  was 
done  first?  And  what  next?  What  did  Ahab  have  to 
say  ?  Did  he  say  anything,  so  far  as  we  know  ?  When 
did  Elijah  take  matters  into  his  own  hands?  What  did 
he  do  first?  What  did  he  say  first?  How  many  of  us, 
though  we  have  read  the  account  and  heard  it  read  many 
times,  could  answer  such  questions  as  those  ?  And  yet 
they  must  be  answered,  and  many  more  of  the  same  sort, 
before  one  is  prepared  to  tell  that  story  to  the  boys  and 
girls. 

We  think  we  know  so  much  more  about  the  Bible 
than  we  do  know  !  Our  first  step,  if  we  want  to  become 
able  to  tell  any  of  the  Elijah  stories,  must  be  to  master 
thoroughly  all  that  the  Bible  tells  us  about  that  remark- 
able  man   and    those  around  him.     We  must  compare 


286  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

Kings  and  Chronicles.  With  the  aid  of  the  concordance 
and  Bible  index  we  must  ransack  the  entire  Bible  for 
references  to  him. 

And  we  must  know  the  facts  perfectly.  They  must 
become  instinctive.  We  must  not  be  obliged  to  think 
what  is  coming  next.  First  we  must  go  over  it  again 
and  again  with  the  Bible  before  us,  referring  at  every 
step  to  the  record.  Then  we  must  go  over  it  apart  from 
the  Bible,  on  our  walks  to  and  fro,  while  sitting  in  the 
twilight,  the  first  thing  on  awaking  in  the  morning.  We 
must  make  it  a  road  we  can  travel  with  our  eves 
shut. 

It  is  useful  to  commit  much  to  memory.  The  graphic 
Scripture  words  will  set  forth  the  story,  when  we  come 
to  tell  it,  far  better  than  any  words  of  our  own.  It  is 
well  to  draw  a  diagram  of  the  course  of  the  story.  It 
is  well  to  write  it  all  out  from  memory.  It  is  well  to  go 
over  it  with  other  learners,  associating  yourself  in  the 
endeavor  with  teachers  whose  aim  is  the  same.  It  is 
well  to  allow  some  time  to  elapse  and  then  go  back  to 
the  story,  to  see  how  tenacious  is  your  grasp  upon  it. 
In  all  these  ways,  and  in  many  others  that  you  will  per. 
force  discover  for  yourselves,  you  must  make  the  Bible 
outline  of  the  story  an  ineffaceable  part  of  your  mind. 

But  it  is  only  an  outline,  even  then.  The  Bible  is  a 
wonderfully  condensed  book.  Stories  that  a  modern 
author  would  stretch  through  three  hundred  pages  are 
crowded  into  a  chapter  or  six  verses.  Moreover,  the 
Bible,  we  must  never  forget,  is  a  foreign  book, — foreign, 
at  least,  to  our  outward  experience,  though  grandly 
native  to  our  hearts.     Its  scenes  are  anions:  distant  lands. 


HOW   TO   TELL   A   BIBLE   STORY  287 

Its  characters  are  people  of  strange  races,  of  customs, 
speech,  and  habits  of  thought  that  differ  largely  from 
our  own.  Before  we  can  really  tell  a  Bible  story  we 
must  fill  in  the  details  of  common  experience  that  did 
not  need  insertion  before  an  Oriental  audience,  since  they 
were  supplied  instinctively ;  but  with  us,  and  especially 
with  children,  their  absence  leaves  the  narrative  either 
bare  or  quite  misleading. 

It  is  the  heedless  way  of  some  teachers  to  supply  these 
details  out  of  our  own  modern  life,  as  Christmas  Evans, 
in  his  graphic  recital  of  the  Gadarene  miracle,  makes 
the  astonished  family  of  the  restored  demoniac  view  his 
orderly  approach  (clothed  and  sane) — from  the  window, 
altogether  oblivious  to  the  fashion  of  Jewish  architec- 
ture. Thus  the  famous  painting,  da  Vinci's  "Last  Sup- 
per," pictures  our  Lord  and  the  twelve  seated,  upright, 
at  a  modern  table.  There  are  features  of  that  account, 
as  also  in  the  story  of  the  woman  with  the  alabaster  box 
of  ointment,  that  cannot  be  understood  until  we  know 
how  they  reclined  at  table  in  those  days,  and  the  shape 
of  the  tables. 

And  so,  before  we  can  properly  tell  a  Bible  story,  we 
must  fill  in  the  Bible  outline,  we  must  know  more  than 
the  story.  As  we  talk  of  the  "lilies  of  the  field"  we 
must  not  be  thinking  of  our  lilies.  As  we  tell  of  the 
wheat  and  the  tares,  we  must  not  have  in  mind  our  trim 
fields  and  our  reapers  and  threshers.  Before  we  can 
relate  the  Cana  miracle  we  must  know  about  Eastern 
marriages ;  or  the  Nain  miracle,  we  must  know  about 
Eastern  funerals.  We  must  not  try  to  tell  the  story  of 
Elisha  and  the  Shunammite,  still  less  the  story  of  Christ 


288  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROBLEMS 

and  the  man  borne  of  four,  without  understanding  how 
they  built  houses  in  those  days. 

Sport  is  made  of  the  old  woman  who  had  read  the 
dictionary  through,  and  had  found  it  very  pleasant  read- 
ing, but  disconnected.  There  is  one  such  volume  that 
every  Sunday-school  teacher  should  read  through,  and 
that  is  the  Bible  dictionary ;  at  least,  its  articles  of  gen- 
eral applicability,  such  as  "Writing,"  "Houses,"  "Agri- 
culture," "Money,"  "Time."  Along  with  that  should 
go  much  reading  of  volumes  of  travel  and  accounts  of 
ancient  social  life,  such  as  Smith's  "  Historical  Geography 
of  the  Holy  Land,"  the  works  of  Trumbull  and  Tris- 
tram ;  vivid  commentaries  like  those  of  Geikie,  Farrar, 
Edersheim,  Maclaren ;  stories  like  "Ben  Hur,"  "Come 
Forth!"  and  "The  Pillar  of  Fire."  As  we  go  on  in 
such  reading  and  study,  filling  in  the  Bible  outlines  with 
a  fuller  knowledge  of  Bible  times,  places,  and  people,  the 
Scriptures  will  begin  for  the  first  time  to  be  contempo- 
rary with  us,  and  we  can  relate  the  Bible  stories  almost 
as  if  the  events  had  come  under  our  own  eyes. 

Almost,  but  not  quite.  For  that  climax  of  story-tell- 
ing power  we  need  not  only  to  know  the  story,  and  more 
than  the  story,  but,  in  the  third  place,  we  must  imagine 
more  of  it  than  we  can  know. 

And  here  is  where  so  many  fail.  This  is  why  so  many 
Bible  teachers,  well  informed  and  industrious,  do  not 
grasp  the  hearts  of  their  scholars :  they  lack  the  creative 
faculty  of  imagination.  They  have  fixed  the  outline,  the 
bones,  of  the  story.  They  have  even  filled  in  the  outline, 
laying  flesh  upon  the  skeleton ;  but  they  have  not 
breathed  into  their  figure  the  breath  of  life. 


HOW    TO   TELL   A    BIBLE   STORY 

For  example,  you  may  wish  to  tell  of  Jeremiah  in 
prison.  The  first  step  is  to  read  all  you  can  find  that  re- 
lates to  the  matter,  in  Kings  and  Chronicles,  in  Jeremiah 
and  Lamentations,  and  even  in  the  Psalms.  The  second 
step  is  to  learn  all  you  can  about  the  prisons  of  those 
davs,  the  darkness,  the  foulness,  the  utter  horror  of  them. 
Bat  the  third  step  is  to  put  yourself  in  the  place  of  the 
prophet  and  try  to  think  his  thoughts:  "Oh,  if  Josiah 
had  not  gone  to  Megiddo !  Oh,  if  I  had  been  captured 
with  1  >aniel,  or  tarried  away  with  Ezekiel !  lias  my  God 
forsaken  me?  What  is  Baruch  doing  now,  I  wonder. 
Perhaps  he  is  trying  to  persuade  the  guard  to  give  me  a 
little  fresh  air,  or  a  ray  of  light.  Ah,  for  a  breath  of  the 
breeze  on  Olivet !  What  is  that  noise — drip  !  drip !  drip  ! 
And  what  is  that  long,  slimy  thing  I  just  touched  with 
my  bare  foot  ?  Is  it  a  water  snake  ?  Verily  this  is  a 
land  of  serpents,  and  they  are  coiled  around  my  nation, 
from  the  feet  to  the  head !  " 

Is  all  that  going  beyond  the  Scripture  ?  Only  beyond 
the  letter  of  it.  For  Jeremiah  must  have  had  such  ex- 
periences, and  he  must  have  thought  such  thoughts.  It 
is  by  such  imaginative  entering  into  the  Bible  stories  and 
living  there  that  the  great  preachers,  such  as  Moody  and 
Spurgeon,  have  gained  their  spiritual  triumphs.  It  is  by 
such  "  fancies,"  as  the  Dryasdusts  sneeringly  call  them, 
that  the  Bible  becomes  alive  to  us,  and  we  can  make  it 
vital  to  other  souls. 

How  shall  we  become  able  thus  to  vivify  a  Scripture 
narrative?  Only  by  long  thought.  We  must  brood 
over  it  lovingly.  We  must  take  up  character  after  char- 
acter, and  persistently  try  to  put  ourselves  in  his  place. 


200  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   PROBLEMS 

We  must  ask  ourselves  at  every  turn  in  the  story,  "  Now 
what  would  I  do,  if  this  should  happen  to  me?  What 
would  I  say  ?  If  this  were  said  to  me,  what  would  I 
think?  How  would  I  answer?  How  would  I  feel? 
What  would  I  do  next  ?  " 

Suppose,  for  example,  you  wish  to  enter  imaginatively 
the  story  of  Zaccheus.  You  might  first  go  through  the 
scene  in  the  person  of  Zaccheus.  Picture  him  to  your- 
self— a  short,  stubby  little  Jew.  His  hair  is  bristly  ;  one 
lock  sticks  straight  up.  His  eves  are  small  and  calculat- 
ing. Put  in  the  little  touches, — the  tear  in  his  clothes 
that  he  got  in  his  hurried  slide  down  that  sycomore. 
Stop.  View  the  scene  through  the  eyes  of  others.  Peter 
saw  it.  What  would  he  think,  as  he  noticed  the  eager, 
red-bearded  face  thrust  through  the  branches  ?  Judas 
saw  it.  Ah,  what  did  that  scene  mean  to  Judas?  Zac- 
cheus's  wife  was  looking  on  in  amazement,  and  with  a 
wildly  rising,  unreasonable  hope.  There,  in  the  crowd, 
is  Isaac  bar  Daniel,  who  has  just  been  driven  to  beggary 
by  Zaccheus's  exactions.  What  black  rage  fills  his  heart 
as  he  sees  the  active  little  man  wriggling  along  the  syco- 
more branch  !  There  was  a  small  boy  in  that  tree — 
why,  of  course  there  was !  And  Zaccheus  pushed  him 
aside  with  a  curse,  and  almost  threw  him  to  the  ground. 
What  did  young  Ben  think,  and  say  ? 

In  that  way  let  your  fancy  play  around  the  scene. 
Can  you  not  see  Zaccheus  boastfully  bowing  Christ  into 
his  fine  house,  the  little  figure  almost  tall  in  his  sudden 
good  fortune?  And  perhaps  our  Lord  said  sadly  to  the 
tax-gatherer :  "  Whose  is  this  fine  house,  Zaccheus  ?  " 
Then,  as  the  publican  lowered  his  head,  our  Lord  may 


HOW  TO  TELL   A    BIBLE  STORY  291 

hare  added,  gently,  "  My  friend,  I  would  rather  abide 
with  you  in  a  hovel,  that  was  all  yours." 

Dwell  with  sympathetic  insight  upon  every  detail  of. 
the  entertainment,  as  it  must  have  occurred.  Imagine 
the  steps  by  which  Zaccheus  rose.  At  first,  perhaps,  he 
thought  to  himself,  "  I  must — yes,  I  must  give  back  that 
money  I  screwed  out  of  Jacob  bar  Jonathan."  Then : 
"I  must  go  into  this  thing  more  thoroughly  ;  I  must  re- 
store every  penny."  Then,  the  splendid  outburst  of  re- 
pentance and  of  promise  in  which  all  the  story  has  its 
crown. 

This  poetic  ability  to  enter  other  lives  is  the  third 
essential  for  the  real  understanding  of  a  Bible  story ;  but 
the  understanding  of  a  story  is  not  the  telling  of  it — ah, 
no !  In  unfolding  the  art  of  narration  I  must  hasten  to 
add  a  fourth  requirement:  you  must  know  and  love  the 
children  to  whom  you  are  telling  the  story.  You  must 
enter  the  hearts  of  the  children,  as  you  have  already  en- 
tered the  heart  of  the  story.  You  must  catch  their  eager 
spirit.  You  must  see  how  their  fresh  vivacity  demands 
movement  from  you,  briskness,  energy,  a  whiff  of  fun. 
You  must  understand  how  little  will  arouse  their  imagina- 
tion, how  quickly  they  catch  an  idea.  You  must  sympa- 
thize with  their  youthful  passion  for  life,  their  capacity 
for  all  amounts  of  preaching  if  it  is  incorporated  in  life, 
and  for  no  amount  of  it  if  it  is  detached  from  life.  You 
must  see  how  they  need  and  enjoy  repetition, — the  repe- 
tition of  thoughts  and  phrases  in  a  story,  the  repetition, 
endlessly,  of  the  story  itself.  You  must  try  to  see  why 
Joseph  is  a  favorite  with  them  and  Paul  usually  is  not, 
and  you  must  seek  to  present  the  story  of  Paul  with 


292  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROBLEMS 

those  elements  of  romance  and  of  simple,  dramatic  action 
which  exist  there,  but  do  not  lie  on  the  surface  as  they 
do  in  the  famous  tale  of  the  Old  Testament.  In  fine, 
you  must  disburden  yourself  of  your  years,  of  your  adult 
ways  of  thinking,  and  you  must  put  yourself  in  the  place 
of  your  youthful  auditor,  as  you  have  succeeded  in  put- 
ting yourself  in  the  place  of  your  characters. 

I  am  writing  to  Sunday-school  teachers,  and  so  I  need 
only  mention  the  fifth  essential  of  the  art  of  Bible  story- 
telling :  You  must  know  and  love  Christ,  the  greatest 
teller  of  fascinating  tales.  You  must  get  his  insight  into 
truth  ;  you  must  have  his  love  for  children.  You  must 
draw  near  to  him  ;  there  is  no  other  way  of  drawing  near 
to  his  children,  or  of  drawing  them  to  him.  Especially, 
in  all  your  story-telling  you  must  seek  to  exalt  him,  and 
you  must  seek  nothing  else.  Self-forgetfulness  is  one  of 
the  great  secrets  of  the  story-teller's  art,  as  self-conscious- 
ness is  his  certain  failure.  The  way  to  success  in  story- 
telling, as  in  all  things,  is  the  way  of  the  cross. 

And  my  last  injunction  of  the  six  needs  also  only  a 
word:  Practise!  It  will  go  clumsily  at  first.  Art  is 
long  ;  the  story-teller's  art  is  very  long.  Imagination 
will  be  dull,  facts  will  escape  your  memory,  relations 
will  be  confused,  you  will  seem  to  be  acting  a  part;  and 
since  you  do  not  convince  yourself  with  the  tale,  of 
course  you  will  convince  no  one  else.  But  persevere, 
persevere !  Study  results.  If  you  fail,  see  why  you 
fail,  and  thus  lay  the  only  foundation  for  success.  Study 
different  methods.  Listen  to  others  that  know  how  to  do 
it.  Catch  their  points  of  effectiveness.  Above  all 
things,  practise  !  practise  !  practise  ! 


HOW   TO  TELL  A   BIBLE   STORY  293 

And  as  you  go  on,  month  after  mohth,  telling  the  old, 
old  stories,  telling  them  with  a  love  for  them  and  for  the 
children  and  for  your  Saviour,  crowding  into  them  an 
ever-growing  wealth  of  knowledge,  inspiring  them  with 
an  ever  more  vivid  insight,  thus,  as  the  months  go  by, 
you  will  increase  in  the  power  of  a  teacher,  what  has 
become  real  to  you  will  become  real  to  your  scholars,  and 
the  wonderful  Bible  story,  from  cover  to  cover,  will  be 
to  you  and  to  them  the  words  of  eternal  life. 


INDEX 


Acquaintance  with  the  scholar,  23 

Acrostics,  14,  17,  120 

Adult  classes,  132 

Analyses  of  the  lessons,  14,  268 

Apologies,  58 

Applications,  32 

Attendance— increasing  it,  40,  55, 

68,  118,  132 
Avocation,  The  Sunday  school  as 

an,  124 

11  Baby  talk,"  165,  166 

Backward  scholars,  22 

Badges,  41 

Bible  dictionary,  288 

Bible  drills,  151,  264 

Bible  foundations,  228 

Bible,  loving  it,  261 

Bible-marking,  13,  154,  256 

Bibles  for  home  use,  8 

Bibles  in  the  class,  40,  138, 150 

Bible  stories,  how  to  tell  them,  284 

Bible-teaching,    what    it  involves, 

234,  278 
Biographies,  home-made,  11 
Biography,  161 
Blackboard  work,  17,  40,   41,  55, 

75,  90,  116 
Boy  problem,  79,  247 

Calisthenics,  43 

Central  point  of  the  lesson,  31,  209 

Chalk  talks,  75 

Charts,  and  their  use,  10,  121 

Christ  in  all  lessons,  211,  235,  251, 

279,  292 
Christian  evidences  in  the  Sunday 

school,  173,  236 
Christian  Patriot's  League,  162 


Christmas  exercises,  202 
Christmas  festivities,  171,  198 
Classes  in  Christian  evidences,  190 
Class  nucleus,  222 
Class  organization,  46,  136 
Class  rooms,  132 
Closing  the  lesson,  16,  33 
Closing  the  school,  95 
Clubs  for  boys,  79 
Collections,  171 
Commentaries,  home-made,  13 
Committees  in  a  class,  137 
Comparing    Scripture   with   Scrip- 
ture, 12 
Completeness  in  our  work,  12,  35 
Comradeship  with  the  scholars,  22, 

42,  100 
Correspondence  classes,  113 
Curios,  244 

Day  schools  and  Sunday  schools, 

26,50 
Decision  day,  250 
Definite  tasks,  24,  35,  38,  138 
Diagrams,  14,  17,  45 
Doubts,  176,  182,  231,  252 
Drawing,  90,  117,  119,  122 
Duty  books,  13 

Early  comers,  47 
Easter  lesson,  192 
Enjoyment  of  our  work,  39,  58,  64, 

97,  110,  126,  282 
Essays,  146 
Examinations,  38,  270 
Exchange  of  classes,  26,  148 
Excursions,  83,  101 
Exhibitions  of  work,  39 
Expelling  scholars,  43,  50 


296 


INDEX 


Fisher's   "Manual    of    Christian 

Evidences,"  190 
Fun  in  Sunday-school  work,  89,  97 

Goals,  25,  34,  283 
Golden  texts,  52,  244 
"  Gospel  of  Peter,"  193 

Hall,   President  G.  Stanley, 

on  story-telling,  284 
Hand-work  for  the  scholars,  44,  54 
Harder  lessons,  and  how  to  teach 

them,  141 
Helps  for  Bible-study,  8,  148,  239 
Higher  criticism,  187,  225 
Home  departments,  23,  73 
Home  study  :  how  to  get  it,  7,  35 

223,  260,  269 
Home  work  with  the  scholars,  10, 

22,  23,  45,  83,  84,  115 
Hopkins's  "Evidences,"  175 
"Hop,  skip,  and  jump"  teaching, 

170 

Illustrations,  15.  19,  103,  220 
Imagination,  25,  105,  288 
Imitation  in  children,  57 

Keywords,  12 

Last  five  minutes,  10 

Lectures,  75,  135,  147 

Lesson  hour  cut  short,  27 

Lesson  leaves,  263 

Lesion  perspective,  207 

Letters  to  scholars,  18,  108 

Library,  108 

"Looking  forward"  meetings,  244 

Love  for  the  Bible,  261 

Manifolding    devices :    how    to 

use  them,  13,  90,  244 
Manner  in  teaching,  44,  57,  99 
Maps,  14,  38,45,  121 
Membership  committees,  71 
Memorizing  Scripture,  52,  259 
Men  in  the  school,  139 
Merrill's      "Parchments     of      the 

Faith,"  190 


Mi  nicies,  233 

Motive  for  teaching,  42.  124 

Music  of  the  school,  70,  75,  168 

National  aspects  of  the  lessons, 

160 
National  holidays,  163 
NewsjKijMi-s,  19,   159 
Normal  classes,  129 
Notices,  86,  117 
Nucleus  of  the  class,  222 

Omnibus,  7(5 

Opening  exercises,  70,  95 

Orchestras.  70 

Order  in  the  class  and  school,  43, 

98 
Order  of  service,  48,  95 
Outside  classes,  75 
Outside  the  school,  22,  79 
Over-promptness,  47 

Paraphrases,  12,  45,  145,  269 
Parents  and  home  study,  10.  23 
Parents  helping  the  teacher,  46,  50, 

112,  150,  253 
Partitioning  off  the  classes,  133 
Pastors  helping  39,  72,  113,  253 
Patriotism    in    the   Sunday  school, 

158 
"Pearls  l>efore  swine,"  218 
Pencil  and  paper  in  the  class,  17, 

19,  268 
Fert  replies.  107 
"Philosophy  Four,"  97 
Photographs,  15 
Picnics,  170 

Pictures,  17,  18,  45,  162,  244,203 
Planning  the  work,  28,  2!),  30,  44, 

53,  66.  102,  109.  129,  208 
Poems,  18 

Porch  committees.  137 
Postal -card  invitations,  77 
Praise,  25 

Frayer  in  the  class,  19,  46 
Prayer  in  the  school.  4S,  103 
Preparation  tor  teaching,  42,  129, 

144,  219,  2-0 


INDEX 


297 


Printing  for  the  school,  76 
Programmes  of  recitations,  146 
Promptness,  48 

Proportion  in  teaching,  29,  189,  207 
Purpose  of  the  Sunday  school,  78, 

277 
Puzzling  questions,  176 

Questions,  and  how  to  use  them, 
13,  18  19,  20,  32,  45,  66,  67,  119, 
146,  223,  242,  245 

Quotations,  18,  19 

Recitation^  70,  162 
Reporting  the  attendance,  77 
Reports  of  home  study,  8 
Reverence,  46 
Reviews,   14,  25.  38,   39,   53,   148, 

MS,  271 

•d  version,  263 
K<  wards  of   Sunday-school    work, 

131 
Rice's     "Our     Sixty -six     Sacred 

Books,"  190 
"Right  Bait,"  247 
Bound  robiaa,  110 

BCHOLABS  helping  one  another,  23. 

46,  223 
Bebool  -rooms,  69 
Scolding,  23,  69 
Scrap-books,  15 
Beoolai  history,  161 

mt  girls'  classes,  74 
Social  committees,  137 
Soul-earing.  :;>.  KH,  250,279 
Souvenirs,  18,  271 
Bp  nken  from  outside,  2  » 
Specialties  in  teaching,  130 


Starting  the  lesson,  43 
Stewart's  life  of  Christ,  273 
Story-telling  art,  20,  105,  284 
Study  bees,  23 
Substitute  teachers,  63 
Summaries  of  the  lesson,  270 
"  Sunday-schooly, "  164 
Superintendent  helping  the  teacher, 

46,  47,  143,  853 
Superintendent's  blaeklioard,  116 
Superintendents  manner,  94 
''Superintendent     that     needs     a 

muzzle,"  213 
Superintendent,  the  talkative,  27, 

49,  118,  123,  213 
Supernatural,  233 
B*  ing  of  the  school,  93 
Symbols,  17 
Sympathy  with  the  scholars,   22, 

144,  291 

Talking  to  the  school,  27,  28, 118, 
165 

Tardiness,  27,  41 

Taylor's  life  of  Christ,  273 

Teachers'  meetings,  69,  129,  143, 
215,  238 

Titles  of  chapters,  37 

Trumbull's  "Teachers  and  Teach- 
ing," 239 

Verse  comments,  66,  145 
Voice  in  teaching,  44,  100 

Why  do  we  teach  ?  277 

Young  people's  society,  63,  71, 
273 


REVISED  AND  ENLARGED 


WAYS  OF  WORKING 

OR,    HELPFUL    HINTS    TO    SUNDAY- 
SCHOOL   WORKERS    OF    ALL    KINDS 

By  Rev.  A.  F.  Schauffler,  D.D. 
232  pp.     Cloth,  $1.00 


The  new  edition  contains  a  chapter  on  the  Relation  of  the  Pastor  to 
the  Sunday  School,  a  supplementary  chapter  on  The  Blackboard  (illus- 
trated), and  one  on  the  Home  Department.  Everybody  should  have 
this  book.  It  covers  every  phase  of  Sunday-school  work  in  a  clear, 
instructive  manner,  and  cannot  fail  to  be  of  marked  benefit  to  every 
worker.  It  has  received  the  highest  commendations  from  the  relig- 
ious press  and  the  leading  Sunday-school  men.  Below  we  give  a 
proof  of  them. 

44  The  appearance  of  a  really  helpful  manual  for  Sunday-school  teachers 
or  superintendents  is  a  noteworthy  event.  Dr.  Schauffler  has  given  us  the 
ripe  results  of  his  experience  as  superintendent  and  a  teacher  of  teachers.  He 
takes  up  the  various  phases  of  a  superintendent's  work,  and  shows  what 
constitutes  success,  how  success  is  often  lost,  and  how  it  may  be  won." — 
S.  S.  Times. 

"This  is  a  capital  book.  So  far  as  the  teacher  and  the  method  go,  it 
leaves  nothing  unsaid.  Dr.  SchaufHer's  book  is  the  very  best  book  for 
teachers,  and  on  teacher's  methods,  that  we  have  seen." — The  Independent, 
New  York. 

44  It  unlocks  the  door  to  the  treasure-house  of  Sunday-school  success."— 
F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.  D. 

44  The  best  all-around  book  for  a  Sunday-school  worker  I  know  of." — 
Marion  Lawrence,  Sec'y  Ohio  State  S.  S.  Association. 

"  Cannot  foil  to  be  of  value  in  the  hands  of  all  Sunday-school  workers." 
—  W.  If.  Hall,  Sec'y  of  Conn.  State  S.  S.  Association. 

44  Dr.  A.  F.  Schauffler,  who  is  widely  known  as  one  of  the  most  expert 
and  distinguished  Sunday-school  men  of  our  time,  has  prepared  a  book  en- 
titled '  Ways  of  Working.' 

44  As  the  title  suggests,  it  is  a  statement  of  methods,  and  abounds  in  prac- 
tical suggestions  concerning  all  departments  of  Sunday-school  work,  the 
duties  of  every  officer,  and  all  particulars  which  are  likely  to  suggest  them- 
selves. It  is  based  upon  long  and  varied  personal  experience  and  observa- 
tion. It  is  written  in  a  clear,  simple,  telling  fashion,  and  will  take  rank  at 
once  in  Sunday-school  literature  as  a  standard  publication."—  Tfu  Congre- 
gationalist. 


W.A.WILDE  COMPANY 

BOSTON   AND   CHICAGO 


The  Teacher,  The  Child 
and  The  Book 

OR,   PRACTICAL   SUGGESTIONS   AND    METHODS 
FOR    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   WORKERS 

By  Rev.  A.  F.  Schaujjler,  D.D. 
2S3  pp.     Cloth,  $/.oo 


"  Not  many  men  among  us  are  better  able  to  teach  teachers 
than  Dr.  Schauffler.  His  life  has  been  devoted  to  the  work,  and  he 
lias  done  it  well.  This  book  is  full  of  good  things.  Its  aim  is  to 
give  the  teacher  information  concerning  methods  of  work  which  have 
been  found  practical  and  helpful.  The  book  is  heartily  commended 
to  teachers  who  desire  to  make  the  most  possible  of  their  ability  and 
of  their  opportunity." —  The  Westminster  Teacher. 

'•All  the  promises  of  the  title  page  are  fully  kept.  This  volume 
gives  to  teachers  a  variety  of  carefully  selected  information  concern- 
ing methods  of  work  which  have  been  found  practical  and  helpful  by- 
others.  Rarely  indeed  have  we  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  book 
that  has  a  better  claim  to  be  regarded  as  practical.  The  suggestions 
that  are  offered  have  the  backing  of  sound  common  sense  and  the 
recommendation  of  successful  trial.  A  teacher  that  is  capable  of 
learning  anything  at  all  from  such  a  book  as  this  cannot  fail  to  get 
new  strength  and  quickening  for  his  great  work  from  these  rich 
pages." — Sunday  School  Work. 

"  Teachers  who  really  wish  to  teach,  and  so  instruct  the  child  in 
the  precious  truths  of  the  divine  word  as  that  a  lasting  impression 
shall  be  made,  will  find  this  volume  of  very  great  help  in  the  wise 
performance  of  their  sacred  task." —  The  Examiner. 

"  This  book  is  exceedingly  practical  as  well  as  very  attractive. 
Each  chapter  gives  a  definite  view  of  some  important  truth.  Dr. 
Schauffler  does  not  aim  at  exhaustiveness,  but  rather  at  clear  impres- 
sions. The  volume  is  one  that  is  sure  to  energize  any  Sunday  school 
whose  teachers  will  read  it." —  The  Christian  Endeavor  World. 

"  This  book  is  not  visionary,  nor  theoretical,  but  intensely  practi- 
cal;  it  tells  an  average  teacher  how  to  do  things  with  just  what  may 
be  at  hand  with  an  average  class  of  little  ones,  or  with  larger 
children." —  The  Baptist  Teacher. 


W.A.WILDE    COMPANY 

BOSTON    AND    CHICAGO 


The  Front  Line  of  the  Sunday- 
School  Movement 

THE    LINE   OF   THE  VANGUARD   OF  SUNDAY- 
SCHOOL     PROGRESS,     WITH     A     GLIMPSE    OF 
IDEALS   BEYOND 

By  Rrv.  F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.D. 
287  pp.     Cloth,  $/.oo 


"  These  chapters  are  filled  to  the  brim  with  helpful  suggestions, 
which  are  given  point  and  illumination  by  striking  illusions  and  tell- 
ing quotations.  The  arguments  are  ably  sustained  and  finely  wrought 
out.  Notes  of  progress  are  sounded  all  the  way  along.  Workers 
who  desire  to  find  the  front  line  of  Sunday-school  work  and  to  keep 
on  it  may  read  this  book  to  their  profit.  It  is  notably  free  from  the 
1  ologies  '  that  overload  some  of  our  modern  books  treating  the  Sun- 
day school.  The  meat  that  is  here  will  afford  strength  for  many 
days." —  Sunday-School  Work. 

"  This  volume  is  the  ripe  fruit  of  long  and  intimate  observation 
and  the  fullest  practical  knowledge.  It  discusses  the  topics  that  are 
most  important  and  most  vital  at  the  present  time,  such  as  teacher- 
training,  the  grading  of  Sunday  schools,  organization  for 
Bible-study,  the  historic  and  other  methods  of  Bible-study,  Sunday- 
school  rooms  and  their  equipment.  The  entire  volume  in  each 
chapter  and  pag*  is  helpful.  No  Sunday-school  worker  but  will  count 
it  worth  its  weight  in  gold." —  The  Christian  Endeavor  World. 

"  The  aim  of  the  book  is  to  show  the  best  that  has  been  accomplished 
la  Sunday  school,  and  help  others  to  attain  that  standard.  The 
character  of  the  building,  grading  of  the  school,  training  teachers, 
prepiration  of  lessons,  and  methods  of  teaching  are  all  discussed  in 
an  illuminating  and  practical  manner;  and  no  one  can  read  these 
chapters  without  benefit.  Every  Sunday-school  officer  and  teacher 
should  possess  and  study  this  book." —  W.  A'.  Moody. 

"  Dr.  Peloubet  is  a  master  in  this  realm,  and  a  careful  observer  of 
methods.  Superintendents  ought  to  secure  several  copies  for  their 
Sunday-school  library,  and  encourage  young  men  and  women  to 
read  it,  instead  of  books  that  merely  amuse  but  give  no  practical 
instruction.  The  pastor  will  find  this  work  invaluable  while  he 
seeks  to  train  his  teachers.  In  fact,  every  official  in  the  school 
ought  to  become  familiar  with  its  teaching  and  carry  out  into  prac- 
tice the  lessons  taught  therein." —  The  Baltimore  Methodist. 


W.A.WILDE   COMPANY 

BOSTON    AND    CHICAGO 


THE   BLACKBOARD    IN 
THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

By  Henry  Turner  Bailey,  State  Super- 
visor of  Drawing  of  Massachusetts 
Price,  bound  in  cloth,  75  cents,  fast/aid 

"Henry  T.  Bailey  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  task  of  writing  on  'The 
Blackboard  in  Sunday-school,1  being  at  once  an  ardent  Sunday-school  man, 
a  student  of  teaching  methods,  and  officially  the  State  Supervisor  of  Draw- 
ing for  Massachusetts.  The  manner  of  ihe  book  is  in  Mr.  Bailey's  most 
winning  vein,  clear,  lively,  informing,  indept  nrftnt.  and  original.  1 1  is  par- 
ticularly designed  to  teach  the  uninitiated  some  oi  the  fundamentals  of  draw- 
ing, and  especially  blackboard  drawing,  including  lettering,  of  cou^e.  The 
book  is  full  of  clever  little  turns  of  expression,  sometimes  direct,  and  some- 
times aside.  That  the  blackboard  has  been  badly  abused  and  overdone  in 
some  of  the  Sunday  schools  is  beyond  question.  Mr.  Bailey  is  careful  to 
adminster  the  caution  that  the  'acrostic  may  be  easily  overdone.'  Many 
a  person  who  is  not  a  Sunday-school  superintendent  or  teacher  will  derive 
enjoyment,  to  say  nothing  of  profit,  from  this  learned  beautiful,  abundantly 
illustrated,  and  otherwise  admirable  book."' —  The  Sunday  Si  hool  Times. 

"This  new  book  on  the  blackboard  is  beautifully  Rotten  up  and  most  at- 
tractive. Much  of  the  matter  that  deals  with  the  principles  of  teaching  is 
first  class."— Rev.  A  .  F.  Sthaujfler,  D.D. 


THE  BLACKBOARD  CLASS 
FOR  PRIMARY  SUNDAY- 
SCHOOL     TEACHERS 

By  Florence  If.  Darnell 
Price,  25  cents,  postpaid 

The  purpose  of  this  little  book  is  to  aid  those  teachers  who  desire  to  illus- 
trate their  work,  and  yet  feel  that  they  have  n  t  the  ability  to  draw.  Believ- 
ing that  "  the  power  to  draw  is  innate  in  every  one."  the  author  has  prepared 
a  series  of  lessons  which  develop  this  ability  by  easy  stages  The  lessons 
begin  with  simple  drills  in  straight  lines  anrt'  circles.  Cradually  thev  prow 
more  difficult,  until  the  pupil  who  has  practised  faithfully  is  abieto  draw  any 
ordinary  picture. 

The  Twenty-third  Psalm,  the  Parable  of  the  Sower,  and  other  special  il- 
lustrations are  carefully  taught. 

"  By  easy  and  gradual  steps  the  learner  is  shown  how  to  use  the  cravon, 
thus  gaining,  by  daily  practice,  skill  in  simple  illustration  of  the  lesson.  This 
little  book  is  suggestive  not  only  to  primary  teachers,  but  helpful  to  mothers 
who  seek  to  interest  the  children  at  home." — flte  Sunday  SJtool  World. 

"  I  would  say  that  Miss  Darnell's  experience  in  giving  directions  f<  r  b'ack- 
boards  to  Sunday  school  Primary  Teachers  has  enabled  her  to  make  a  most 
practicable  book  for  all  teachers.  It  is  just  such  a  book  as  Primarv  Sunday- 
school  Teachers  desire  to  have  and  greatly  need." — Mrs.  Wilbur  F.  Crafts. 

W.  A.  WILDE  COMPANY 

BOSTON  AND  CHICAGO 


"rTVIY  i 


CALIFORNIA  LTf 


GENERAL  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA— BERKELEY 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or  on  the 

date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


120ct'54Bffi 


OCT  7    1954  tf|l 


2lAug'56GB 
REC'D  LD 

AUG  1  0  1956 


LD  21-100m-l,,54(1887sl6)476 


.YB  29 1 55 


\JA 


